A new mechanism for processing the qualifications of students whose equivalency has been refused
Master’s and PhD students are allowed to study part-time
Attestation of the expatriate’s certificate for employment purposes only
Mr. Jaber Al-Jaber, Director of the University Certificate Equivalency Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, revealed new plans and programs that the department is currently implementing to improve the services provided to the public, speed up the review of applications submitted for certificate equivalency, as well as to address the academic qualifications and certificates of students whose equivalency has not been approved. Al-Jaber stressed, in statements to Qatari media, that among the measures taken by the administration to facilitate the affairs of students in order to equalize their certificates, is to submit a proposal – which was approved – to address the academic qualifications of students and their certificates that have not been approved for equivalence, either due to a shortfall in the study period they studied or not accreditation. The pattern or course of study, or for any other reasons that conflict with the regulations and systems of the Ministry followed to equalize academic qualifications, according to which the administration reviews the student’s academic status since the secondary stage, and evaluates all years and hours of study subsequent to the secondary stage in order to determine the period of study that he lacks to equalize his qualification for a bachelor’s degree. added: "For example, students who obtained a bachelor’s degree with a period of study of 3 years after secondary school, which contradicts the period prescribed by the Ministry and specified in four years, so their certificates were refused equivalence, and they were not allowed to continue their postgraduate studies to a master’s degree or higher, and after Approval of the administration’s proposals, as it has become possible for the student to continue his studies for a master’s degree, provided that he passes the postgraduate diploma program and after the Ministry’s approval, of course.". Certification of certificates at consulates, and he explained that the department agreed with officials of the consular department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to set up an easy mechanism to certify students’ certificates in diplomatic representations outside the country, which previously did not certify certificates and qualifications, unless they were issued by educational institutions included in the list of the Ministry of Education. education and higher education. He continued: "As the procedures for attesting certificates issued by educational institutions outside the country are administrative procedures entrusted to the consular departments of the diplomatic representations of the State of Qatar abroad, while the equivalence of certificates is a technical procedure in the first and last place, which is entrusted to the Department of Equivalence of University Academic Certificates at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. It is agreed that all academic and study qualifications will be approved by the country’s diplomatic representations abroad in accordance with their systems, provided that the matter of evaluating the qualification and its equivalence is left to the University Academic Certificate Equivalency Department, as it is a technical procedure that the administration is concerned with.". Reasons for rejecting the equivalence of some certificates Mr. Jaber Al-Jaber answered the questions of many citizens holding university, master’s and doctoral degrees, about the reasons that prevent the equivalence of some university degree systems such as affiliation, distance education, supplementary study, or rejecting certificates issued by universities other than Included in the approved list, while university degrees are accepted for expatriates working in the country with the same educational systems, stressing that the matter is not as it seems or as it comes to mind at first glance. University degree equivalency In this regard, the director of the university degree equivalency department explained that there is a difference between equivalency and authentication. The equivalence is the decision issued that the certificate subject of the equivalence is academically equivalent to one of the educational certificates listed within the approved educational levels in the country, and that it is equivalent to it, according to Article No. 1 of Cabinet Resolution No. 3 of 2017. As for the endorsement, it was issued by Cabinet Resolution No. 30 of 2020 Whereas Article No. 3 of it stipulates that: " The Department is responsible for approving the certificate of an expatriate to the country for the purpose of work, and the certification of the certificate replaces the equivalence for employment purposes only". He said that the equivalency of the certificate for the Qatari is aimed at ensuring that he obtains a university degree from one of the universities accredited in the lists of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and in the approved study systems, which guarantees the Qatari student the completion of his postgraduate studies and employment in the country, and the Ministry has previously confirmed the need to obtain prior approval to study at Private expense or through the government scholarship program, to ensure enrollment of our citizens in the best ranked universities in the world, and to raise the academic level and national educational outcomes. University degree authentication and continued: "As for the authentication of the certificate for expatriates from abroad, it is an acknowledgment issued by the administration of the validity and integrity of the certificate subject of authentication and its data, and the location of the certificate subject of authentication within the educational levels. The issue of estimating the certificate to it according to its own standards, after conducting the tests required by that authority, and the expatriate must prove competence and sufficient capabilities for his employer". Approved Academic Systems In the same context, Al-Jaber clarified the university educational systems whose certificates are denied equivalency, pointing out that for master’s and doctoral degrees, studies can be full-time or part-time. As for the bachelor’s / bachelor’s degree, the approved system in the country is the full enrollment system, otherwise all other systems are unacceptable, except that Cabinet Resolution No. 3 of 2017 allowed the possibility of studying for all degrees in the non-traditional system that falls under the name (distance education), but it is in At the same time, a number of universities were assigned to him in only 4 countries, which are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, provided that the student obtains prior approval from the University Academic Certificate Equivalency Department before starting the study. Admission criteria The Director of the University Certificate Equivalency Department spoke about the criteria adopted by the department and the committee for university academic certificate equivalency, which are based on the relevant Cabinet decisions mentioned above. In terms of public and private accreditation in the country of residence, and its academic classification according to the classification sites approved by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, as well as the academic program’s conformity to the educational levels approved in the country in terms of study period, study system, and attendance. In addition to the requirement to obtain informed consent prior to initiating the study. Affiliation system Regarding the equivalence of certificates with the affiliation system specifically, he confirmed that the Council of Ministers approved on 12/29/1998 not to approve the equivalence of the bachelor’s / licentiate certificate issued by the affiliation system, and therefore the equivalency of those certificates is rejected for violating the explicit decision of the Council of Ministers in this regard . Verification of certificates Al-Jaber noted that one of the administration’s tasks is to verify university degrees for all employees in the country. Mechanism to speed up transactions Jaber Al-Jaber added that the time taken for the equivalence or authentication process involves the intervention of other parties, including universities issuing certificates, where the necessary inquiries about the certificate are made and awaiting the university’s response. It depends on how quickly the university responds and how cooperative it is. There is also a role for the concerned student in accelerating the pace of dealing with his certificate by submitting his application in full from the beginning so that the administration does not have to return his application to him more than once to complete what he lacks. He pointed out that a new system has already been launched for electronic submission, and the new system tries to avoid some of the defects of the previous system in terms of ease of submission and speed of making inquiries to obtain the required response, especially after linking the system with Qatari cultural attachés abroad. The new system is still in its infancy, and the administration will always work on improving it out of its desire to provide distinguished services to the target audience. The administration is preparing to hold a number of training courses and workshops for its employees to stand up and learn about the various education systems around the world, and how to deal with qualifications issued from different parts of the globe. Which is done for education systems in general, and the Ministry’s systems that organize the work of equivalence certificates. Awareness meetings for students The director of the Certificate Equivalency Department concluded by saying that the department is seeking to coordinate and hold more student meetings, especially high school students, for the purpose of guiding them, educating them, and introducing them to the requirements of studying abroad and the need to obtain the approval of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to study abroad before starting the study, and to ensure the study The student is enrolled in accredited educational institutions, and studies scientific disciplines that will benefit the recipient as well as benefit the state and the labor market. It will also preserve students’ efforts and financial savings and protect them from falling victim to unaccredited educational institutions whose concern is limited to financial profit only, in addition to introducing students The importance of equating their qualifications if obtained from outside the State of Qatar, and the procedures followed for that in the interest and protection of the student’s academic gains.
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