Canada International College in Dubai was shut down earlier this month after hosting unauthorised courses by an unlicensed Iranian University, causing 100 students to look for other placements.
Shiraz University, Dubai branch, was operating without a Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) permit, which is required by all international branch universities operating in Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai Academic City.
Canada International College is also not permitted by the KHDA to host the courses.
"We have informed Shiraz University that they do not have permission to continue operations in Dubai and to find alternatives for the students currently registered. In good faith, we have provided them with options for their students to choose from." said Asma Dalmouk, Director of Training Institutes of Permits, Regulations and Permits Commission (RPC) of KHDA.
She also said the KHDA is currently working with Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority DTMFZA — which gave Canada International College its commercial licence — to review and issue permits all training institutes operating there as part of the licensing procedure.
"This is part of our overall goal to ensure the availability of high-quality education in Dubai at all levels," she said.
Asma advised all higher and further education students to check the search engine available on KHDA’s website or to contact KHDA before they register to ensure that the institution where they wish to study is permitted by the KHDA.
The exact period of time the illegal university was operating and the number of students was unknown as the Management at TECOM Investments’ Education Cluster said they did not have any relations with Shiraz university as it was an unofficial university. Hence they were not aware of the exact period of operation and number of students enrolled.
The Management at TECOM Investments’ Education Cluster also commented on the closure saying: "When we became aware that the organisation was also acting as host for unapproved courses on behalf of Shiraz University, we immediately referred the matter to the KHDA. We are currently in discussions with the KHDA about the situation and Canada International College is no longer located in Dubai Knowledge Village."
The spokesperson said Canada International College was until recently located within Dubai Knowledge Village and was approved to offer its own courses by the regulator, KHDA.
Gulf News contacted Canada International College whose spokesperson said: "Canada International College is separate from Shiraz University. They offer separate courses and are managed separately."
The spokesperson did not want to comment further on the issue.
Shiraz University, which was established in 1946, is a well-known and highly ranked university in Iran. The university offers bachelor’s and PhD degrees to around 13,000 students.
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