King Abdullah honors Dar Al-Hekma Graduates

The first batch of women graduates from Dar Al-Hekma College was honoured yesterday at a ceremony attended by His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

Dr. Ebtisaam Fakahani, dean of the college, said the time had come for education to move away from memorization and dictation to a system where students apply their minds, master the art of comprehension, develop creative skills and gain real experience.

The chairman of the college's board of trustees, Zuhair Fayez, underlined the government's efforts to encourage private education, especially women's education, and the application of technology to further develop and advance knowledge.

His Majesty the King was received by Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, who is chairman of the Darul Ilm organization which runs the college. During the function the founders and donors were also honoured. King Abdullah handed over the graduation certificates to the parents of the students.

On behalf of the parents, Nabeel Ahmad Baashan said the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah was an honour to education and testimony to the unity that bound the people and the leadership of the country together. Encouraging education had been a policy of the state since the establishment of modern Saudi Arabia.

Baashan thanked the donors and others who supported the college for their generous contributions and thanked the teaching staff for their untiring efforts, which culminated in the successful graduation of the first group of students.

Iman Nafiz Murad, whose daughter Sabah Al-Safdi was among the graduates, spoke on behalf of the mothers of the students and thanked the crown prince and all those who helped the students achieve the success they deserved.

Opened in September 1999, Dar Al-Hekma College is built on the Islamic faith, academic excellence and intellectual curiosity. It was founded when prominent members of the Jeddah community recognized that there was a need for sophisticated higher education for young Saudi women, with high quality academic programs.

The founders asked the Texas International Education Consortium to work with local and international experts to plan the college and design its curricula.

The college is a private, non-profit institution whose mission is to provide selected degree programs to academically qualified women. Its emphasis is on fostering creativity and women's role in society.

The college considers itself a "creative learning community for students who are actively engaged in the teaching and learning process."

Academic programmes are offered in Arabic and English and have a strong foundation in general education, including Islamic heritage and civilization and exposure to other world cultures. The three majors - Business Information Systems, Special Education, and Interior Design - are supplemented by an array of student activities including sports and a student newspaper.

Abdul Wahah Bashir: Arab News Staff AN photo by Adnan Mahadhi