SDG10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES
Introduction
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sought to ensure equality and justice. Every part of the Kingdom receives its due focus from the government; as the statute of the 1412 A.H. Ruling stipulates to solidify the national unity and prevent anything that could lead to division, discord or sedition. In this regard, the Kingdom has launched several initiatives and programs.
Also, the Human Rights Commission entered into several partnerships, including a MoU with the General Authority for Statistics (GAStat) to enhance bilateral cooperation in human rights statistics, a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development to boost bilateral partnership and follow-up the implementation of each party’s tasks respectively, cooperation to combat trafficking in persons, secure the rights of persons with disabilities, children and family rights, protection from abuse and rights of older persons. GAStat also signed a MoU for technical cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to combat trafficking in persons, to prevent it, to help its victims, to sustain and shelter them.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy places at the heart of everything we do to deliver an experience and environment in which all staff and students are treated with respect, feel welcome and are able to thrive.
Diversity and inclusion at Qassim University is about opening the intellectual enterprise to people who may be prevented from attending because of broader social inequities, by creating space, opportunities, entry points, pathways, and support for underrepresented students and staff.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion also includes our approach to building greater diversity in successful partnerships, in our procurement and supply chain practices, and in serving the community through respectful engagement that reflects leading practice.
In the academic field
Receiving a student guide that provides information about the University, and its systems and facilities.
A Party reception for newcomers.
The education received by students will be evaluated and their observations will be used to improve the quality of teaching at the University. The students will evaluate the courses that they have studied and the faculty members who have taught them (the evaluation questionnaire is showed in the appendices) provided that the student deals with this credibly and is free from personal, partisan and tribal influences.
Providing the appropriate study environment so students can study and learn easily by providing all the educational capabilities available to serve this goal.
Obtaining the scientific material and knowledge associated with the university courses taught in accordance with the university rules and regulations governing academic work.
Obtaining the study plans in the faculty or department and the specializations, as well as reviewing the study schedules before the start of the study, conducting his/her registration in the courses offered to the student by the system, providing the rules of registration, taking into account the prioritization of registration in accordance with fair controls when it is not possible to achieve the wishes of all students.
Dropping or adding any course, dropping the entire semester as provided by the system of study and registering to the university within the specified period and announced to students.
Faculty members of the university will be committed to the dates, times of lectures to meeting the scientific and practical hours and they should not cancel the lectures or change their times unless necessary. In case of a cancellation of any lecture for whatever reason, an alternative lecture on those canceled or absent by the faculty member to complete the course would be given, after coordination with the students and the department.
Appropriate scientific inquiry and discussion with faculty members without censorship or punishment, whether during the lecture or during the announced office hours to meet the students.
The test questions should be within the course and its contents and the issues raised or referred to during the lectures. The distribution of grades would be balanced and logical in order to achieve a fair assessment of the student’s abilities.
Conducting all the tests that are held for the course unless there is a legal obstacle that prevents them from being conducted in accordance with the relevant regulations and instructions.
The student will be provided the key answer to the questions of the quarterly tests and the distribution of scores on the parts of the answer, which is based on the assessment of student performance before the final test of the course.
The student has the right to review his answer sheet in the tests according to the regulations and decisions issued by the university in regulating the mechanism of that review and its controls.
Facilitate obtaining all his rights within the university by the administrative or academic bodies in accordance with the regulations and rules of the university.
The student will be provided the results obtained in the monthly, quarterly and final tests performed after emptiness corrected and adopted.
The commitment of faculty members, staff and employees of the university employees to respect the student and give him all his academic and literary rights.
Adopting the electronic system in monitoring grades and limiting absence to be monitored regularly and not be delayed more than a week.
Notifying the student of the total grades of his work quarterly and practical before entering the final exam.
In the non-academic field
Enjoy the benefits and social welfare provided by the University and participate in the activities established there inbyhe regulations and university rules governing it.
Access to adequate health care through treatment within hospitals and health centers affiliated with the university.
Utilize the services and facilities of the university (e-book libraries, gym hall, cafeteria,, etc.) according to the rules and regulations of the university.
Obtaining the financial incentives and rewards prescribed by law, especially for the superior student.
Nomination for training courses and programs and internal and external trips and increase his participation in cultural activities as well as participation in community service activities and volunteer work.
The complaint or grievance of any matter that affects the student about a faculty member, department, college, or any of the University units, and the submission of the complaint or grievance by the rules governing the unit for the protection of Student Rights and enable the student to know the status of his complaint.
Enable him to defend himself before any party in the university in any disciplinary case filed against him. The student will not be sentenced until after hearing his statements unless it proves that his absence was an unacceptable excuse after being summoned for the second time.
Grievance against the disciplinary decision issued against him by the rules established in this regard under the provisions of disciplining students.
Maintain the contents of his file inside the university, dealing with it with care, not handing it over to anyone except to the student or his guardian or whoever delegates that file by the investigating authorities or the judiciary or another government agency. The contents of his file may not be disclosed or published unless such publication is the result of a disciplinary punishment against the student.
The right of the student with special needs to receive appropriate and appropriate service according to the rules and regulations in force.
The Department of Guidance and Counseling is keen to assist the student with its educational, educational, material and social benefits, in coordination with the Student Funding Department. As some students have social and physical conditions that may cause them to be left behind or absent from school. Therefore, the administration was keen to provide financial assistance after conducting a personal interview for the student or needy student and determine the amount of the subsidy and raise it to the student funding department for approval.
By examining the conditions of some of the stuttered students and studying their academic, social and psychological situations, which may have a significant impact on the student’s academic stumbling. The Department of Guidance and Counseling has developed a program to study student cases. It prepared a form with the names of many disabilities, which is filled out by the social worker. It also set a timetable to be followed up by the specialist in which the student will execute according to his instructions.
The University cares for developing its athletic and cultural facilities, and it currently constructs “Assembly of Athletic Facilities”, which most of its units have been finished.
This Assembly contains group of athletic facilities of high standard, and have integrated combos of stadia, sport fields and services for University staff, students, employers and
officers. These include:
Bowling and entertainment sports hall.
Multi-sports hall (football, basketball, volleyball, etc.).
Hall services building.
Swimming pool building prepared for holding championships.
Social building equipped with social sitting rooms and cafeterias.
Group of outdoor stadia.
The total area of this assembly is about 89800 meter square, and the total cost of it is 89 million SR. the assembly is constructed according to the most recent styles, and well equipped to serve the staff, student and all University related people.
Also, the University has many well equipped halls for conferences, meetings and celebrations. These are distributed all over the University in its main building and the branches. The courtyard of the University main building is prepared for establishing the big activities and encounters such as graduation parties, public conferences.
Medical care is one of the student rights. Therefore, the University presents free medical care to their students through its medical clinics in the University City in Mulidaa. These comprises general, surgery and specialized clinics, besides the dental clinic. These clinics offer medical care to the staff and officers of the University in addition to the students.
Also, the governmental hospitals offer comprehensive medical care to the Saudi citizen including the students, and also they offer medical care to the international students.
The University currently constructs and prepares the University Hospital in its main site, which is a comprehensive medical project. It is a part of the Medicine City which will serve all the University related persons and the society people as well.
Information and Communication Center:
The Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences at the University celebrated the International Day of People with Special Needs, with the participation of several bodies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Social Security and other bodies and associations interested in that category, and the program included workshops - lectures - and medical clinics under the supervision of a number of specialists in the field of physiotherapy.
For her part, Dr. Mariam bint Saleh Al-Harbi, Dean of the College, explained that this celebration comes within the framework of the interest of the wise government of the Kingdom in them by providing an integrated system for their care through competent authorities in several areas to eable them to communicate with the community without barriers or obstacles.
The Dean of the College stressed that the aim of the implementation of this event is due to the great importance of that group and the lofty goal of that day to serve and support them in all fields, so that they can deal with those around them naturally and integrate into society, appreciating the role of the participating parties, and the official sponsors for their sponsorship of the Day of People with Special Needs.
The owner of the celebration is an exhibition of all the tools and assistive devices that can serve people with special needs, in addition to an entertainment section for disabled children in which he presented many gifts and in-kind prizes provided by sponsors.
The College of Education, represented by the Department of Special Education, carried out an awareness and educational campaign under the slogan "With you and you", last Thursday, which was inaugurated by Dr. Ali Al-Saif, Vice President for Educational Affairs at the Othaim Mall in Buraidah, with the aim of raising the awareness of the community about the special educational and rehabilitation programs used with individuals with special needs, where the participants in the campaign sensitized visitors to those programs, in addition to how to support this category in all fields, especially in education, training and employment, and introduce the community to them, and promote the concept of integration of people with special needs. Special needs in society, encouraging them to trust themselves and their abilities on the one hand, and developing the abilities of those working with individuals with special needs on the other.
The campaign also included several pillars, including: a corner on autism disorder, a corner on talent and excellence, a corner of learning difficulties, a corner of mental disability, speech and speech disorders, and visual impairment, where each corner included the definition of the concept expressed and the causes, characteristics, diagnosis, training and therapeutic programs, in addition to instructions for parents in how to deal with people with special needs, as well as a special corner to provide consultations to mothers with special needs, in the presence of blind students from the Department of Education who submitted some work to the attendees.
Qassim University signed a joint cooperation agreement with the General Directorate of Education in the Qassim Region, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Meshaal bin Saud, Governor of Qassim Region, in order to strengthen the bonds of work and partnership between the two parties and exchange experiences and means in order to develop the educational process, develop students' skills, student activities and programs, in addition to paying attention to the gifted, investing in the time of young people, activating scientific research and identifying and activating cooperation mechanisms between them.
This agreement, signed on behalf of the University by Dr. Ali Al-Saif, Vice President for Educational Affairs, and on behalf of the Department of Education, Mr. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Rukayan, Director General of Education in the Qassim Region, stems from the directives of His Highness the Amir of the Qassim Region, on the integration of efforts and the strengthening of cooperation and partnership relations between the various development bodies in the region, and in support of the relations of cooperation and partnership between the University and the General Directorate of Education in the Qassim Region.
The two signatories to the agreement aspire to achieve their common goals, which are to build the student's Islamic, national and intellectual personality cognitively, skillfully and values, work to promote loyalty and national belonging and consolidate the correct concepts among students of both sexes, in addition to providing advanced and accredited education to prepare integrated competencies that meet the needs of the labor market, support sustainable development programs and projects in the Qassim region, and contribute to building a knowledge society.
The agreement also aims to provide community services and distinguished applied research in a way that promotes the local community and contributes to building the knowledge economy, using the latest administrative, technical and informatics methods, and contribute to the service of society through training and continuous education, and consolidate the concepts of sustainable development, environmental conservation, and information awareness, in addition to making available various sources of information for sober educational, research and applied purposes, especially related to community issues, and the required construction, development and maintenance of those resources.
For his part, Dr. Ali Al-Saif, Vice President for Educational Affairs, stressed that this agreement is expected to enhance cooperation between the General Directorate of Education in Qassim and the faculties and deanships of the university in the field of public lectures, seminars, specialized training programs, research and specialized scientific studies, participate in the implementation of special programs for people with special needs, and encourage scientific studies and research in these fields.
Al-Saif added that under this agreement, joint working groups will be formed between the two parties, holding workshops, meetings and visits needed by joint programs and activities, and providing mutual facilities from both parties in order to achieve the optimal environment for the implementation of joint programs and activities.
The conference "The Future of E-Learning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in accordance with Vision 2030", concluded its work on Wednesday evening, 26/7/1442 AH, organized by the University, represented by the College of Science and Arts in Al-Ras, under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Daoud, over two days, in which 3 scientific sessions and 4 workshops were held in addition to the opening and closing sessions, with a total participation of 108 participants and a total attendance of 2715 people.
The sessions of the conference resulted in a number of recommendations (30 recommendations) produced by the participants and researchers in the conference, including all the themes of the conference discussed during its sessions, most notably the commitment to the reference of the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030 in education, and stressed the need to benefit from successful international and regional experiences and expertise, in addition to urging universities to diversify their electronic platforms, with the need to employ modern software in education, as well as interest in providing faculty members with the skills of designing electronic courses to save effort and time, in order to To go beyond traditional methods of education.
The recommendations also pointed to the importance of partnerships between Saudi universities and e-training platforms to support e-training programs in universities, and urged the competent authorities to design more modern applications that ensure direct interaction between teacher and learner to facilitate the process of distance education, as well as preparing schools to use education innovations such as ART in order to improve the skills of the Mulki and the beneficiary, especially for those who suffer from learning difficulties in various subjects and the development of educational halls to meet the needs of students with special needs.
The attendees and participants praised the wonderful and rapid transformation from regular education to e-learning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia without much difficulty in light of the Corona pandemic and this shows the strength and robustness of the infrastructure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the conference came a full year after the start of e-learning in the Kingdom.
The participants also thanked and appreciated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah protect him, and His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince – may Allah protect them – as well as thanks to His Highness the Amir of the Qassim Region and His Highness the Deputy Governor, and the participants and organizers thanked His Excellency the Minister of Education for supporting and facilitating the establishment of the conference, and the participants also gave special thanks to His Excellency the President of the University, Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Daoud, for his sponsorship of the conference hosted by the College of Science and Arts in Al-Ras, and the organizing committee of the conference headed by Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al-Daoud, and the organizing committee of the conference headed by Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Daoud Ali Bin Freih Al-Aqlaa Thank you very much to the researchers for their participation, which was a great factor in the success of this conference, and the committee also thanked and appreciated the Chamber of Commerce in Al-Rass for sponsoring the conference, asking Allah the Almighty to benefit everyone with its outputs and recommendations.
I lost my sight.. But it did not lose the insight, the passion for life and excellence.. And the love of science and the yearning to learn and enter the midst of life defying all the difficulties she faced, to overcome at first her visual impairment, and then to proceed step by step towards achieving her ambitions, which are no less than those of healthy students, and even surpass him with determination, determination and overcoming difficulties.
She is the blind student Jihan Mohammed Al-Majidil, one of the graduates of the eighteenth batch of the university, who graduated with distinction from the specialization of Islamic law at the university, relying on her abilities and self-confidence, and her skill in using modern technology and adapting it to suit her needs and health condition, and what qualified her for excellence and success at all stages of study.
The graduate "Jihan" provided a role model of determination and determination that abounds in our dear Kingdom, as she is one of the girls of this giving country whose wise government – may God protect it – supports all its citizens, especially those with special needs who receive the care and care of the state to help them achieve their ambitions and aspirations.
From this standpoint, His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Meshaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Qassim Province, after hearing and witnessing the story of blind graduate "Jihan", during his generous sponsorship of the graduation ceremony of the eighteenth batch at the university, was quick to announce the inclusion of "Jihan" in the Anemone of Men Award in the Emirate of Qassim Region, wishing that she would be among the winners, and announced that the mechanism of benefiting from it will be sought in the jury, because it is an honorable model.
His Highness said: "We thank Allah that there are some of our children who are armed with faith in Allah the Almighty, and possess this will, determination and self-determination, and congratulations to the homeland for the presence of these parables of distinguished students in the Qassim region and throughout the Kingdom.
For his part, His Excellency Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Dawood, President of the University, announced the admission of the graduate "Jihan Al-Majidal" to the graduate program in recognition of her struggle and excellence, and for being one of the honorable models of the university.
The international students are divided into two types:
International students live in the kingdom with official Ikama
International students from outside the Kingdom and have educational grants
Qassim University cares for both types of international students, and established many units and vice-deanships to guide and help them.
These are demonstrated as follows:
Grant Unit in the Deanship of Student Affairs:
This unit looks after the receiving the applications for studying in the University, issuing the visa from the responsible body, After students are officially admitted to the University, the Unit receives them, arranges for their subsistence and accommodation in the University housing, and provide the social care for them, organizes the educational environment and the suitable medical care and whatever helps them to be familiar with the University atmosphere.
Unit of Teaching the Arabic Language or non-Arabic speakers in College of Arabic Language and Social Studies:
It cares for the international students and offer Arabic Language Diploma as a second language. During this Diploma, they practise listening, conversation, reading and writing in multilateral Arabic language.
Vice-Deanship of Admission and Registration for grants student affairs, which care for:
Activating mechanisms of attracting the distinguished international students. The university used to form committees from the faculty to attract the international students from their countries and meet them as it is keen to attract the talented and creative students. The University found that it enough to use the Admission Gate of the Higher Education Ministry and nominating the students through the Saudi Culture Councils as governed by the related regulations regarding the admission of the non-Saudi grant students in the Saudi higher education in the Kingdom. The University cooperates with the Islamic centers all around the universe, which nominate students for joining the University. Thereafter, the University investigates their files to check their experiences, skills, grades and validity to join the University.
Application of the rules of admission of the international students as per the regulations of admitting the non-Saudi grant students in the Saudi higher education in the Kingdom.
The processes of admission of the students, registration, issuing the academic numbers and IDs of the international students.
Following up the academic status and progress of the international students.
The University presents the supporting programs for the international students to get them familiar with the University society and Al-Qassim region through the Orientation and Guidance Directorate in the Deanship of Student Affairs, preparation programs for new students, and Academic Advising and Orientation units in the colleges. It follows up their academic grades and progress, and checks the satisfaction of graduation requirements through the electronic system in the Admission and Registration Deanship.
Also, the University provide the social and free medical care through the Medical Services Directorate of the University. it periodically explores their opinion and the level of satisfaction about the University services offered to them.
This unit manages the affairs of scholarship students and expatriates who study at the university and come from different nationalities and have different customs, traditions and perceptions, which requires diligence with them to point out some religious issues, regulations and instructions regarding their study.
The unit also tries to take care of any problems that they are facing by trying to find them solutions in order to create a comfortable atmosphere that helps the students towards their academic achievements and builds a fruitful personality regarding their thoughts and behavior .
This unit follows up the administrative procedures necessary for the arrival and travel of scholarship students and their ticket payments. It also coordinates with the concerned authorities and departments, as well as work on the completion of academic procedures to start the study of scholarship students and expatriates.
The unit helps them find the right housing, prepare them socially, and overcome the problems they face. The unit is also keen to work on programs that aim to integrate scholarship students and expatriates with the university community.
