Secretariat General of the Higher Education Council

In the last 12 months the Higher Education Council (HEC) has moved significantly towards creating a organization typical of similar government agencies around the world which is one focusing on strategy, performance of the sector and regulation. The road to reform is often difficult and time consuming however this is the road that we must take in order to give students an education that they deserve and meets international standards. Students today have more choice than ever regarding higher education, the role of HEC is to ensure that Bahrain is a popular place to come and study because the qualifications have international value.

Students are now at the centre of all decision and policy making, the fundamental reason is that as the region moves towards the knowledge economy students now require different types of skills and that means a different type of higher education sector. HECs role is now one of making decisions based on evidence and setting policy based on the future direction of the country and the gulf region. The outcomes of our work must allow the sector to produce graduates that have skills that employers need, that have entrepreneurial skills to become job makers and for graduates to be able to contribute to national economic growth and to society as a whole.

HECs role has also focused on improving performance across the sector, in order to reach the 2030 vision of a world class higher education sector. This has meant helping universities to learn from our international partners. Increasingly through globalization higher education is becoming increasingly collaborative and HEC has developed strong international partnerships with many universities and experts coming to Bahrain to transfer their knowledge and expertise.