KUWAIT: Seven representatives from Government and Higher Education Institutions in Kuwait gained new skills in self-assessment from top UK education experts at a British Council workshop , to help them improve the quality of education at universities in the country, said a statement from the British Council yesterday.

The Kuwait team joined Higher Education professionals from Iraq, Qatar and Bahrain at the workshop held between March 1 and 3 at the Novotel Al-Dana Hotel and Resort in Manama.

The 'Self Assessment: A Key Driver in Quality Assurance and Improvement for Universities' workshop aimed to demonstrate the need and value of self-assessment-of courses, programs and institutions-and provide the 29 delegates with appropriate tools to measure and assess performance in their universities.

During the three-day practical workshop organized by the British Council, delegates will learn about the benefits of self-assessment in raising educational standards and identify self-assessment techniques-such as dashboards, key performance indicators and improvement plans-which they can apply to their own organizations that will help them to meet universities' strategic goals. They will also hear about the role of self-assessment in external quality assurance accreditation.

Sally Ward, Regional Program Manager of Higher Education for the Middle East said: "Being able to clearly measure how a university, its programs and courses are performing is vital if education professionals are to successfully raise standards and meet their organisation's strategic goals.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Fares, representing the Private Universities Council (PUC) in Kuwait, extended his appreciation and thanks to the British Council for organizing this workshop and for its active role in providing excellence in higher-education especially in the Middle East and the GCC region. - Kuwait Times