Fatimah Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has said it will admit students of the former Science & Technology College, which was shut down earlier this month by the ministry for not having a license, to King Abdulaziz University (KAU). It said the nearly 1,000 students of the college had been offered places in programs similar to the ones they had been enrolled in at the college. The ministry made the remarks in a press release issued on Sunday in which it defended its decision to close the college permanently for violating private education regulations in the Kingdom. “After studying each student's situation thoroughly and evaluating their academic credentials and levels, the ministry has decided to enroll them at KAU so that they can obtain degrees commensurate with the quality of higher education in the Kingdom,” the statement said. Starting this week, effective procedures will be taken to enforce the decision, according to the statement. The solution is not obligatory; students who want to enroll at private colleges and universities are welcome to do so, the statement added. The ministry and KAU agreed that the latter would set up a page on its website to allow students to enroll in the university starting Sunday and register for classes by next Saturday. The ministry warned students against enrolling in private college or universities without accessing the ministry's website first to make sure that the institution is licensed. Earlier this month, students of the college were notified on the college's official Facebook page that it had been closed by the ministry. Angry students in turn protested outside the college. At the time, Muhammad Al-Haizan, official spokesman of the Ministry of Higher Education, said that the college had not completed licensing procedures before starting classes.
