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New Bahrain University campus planned in Muharraq

MANAMA, April 22, 2015

A new Bahrain University campus in Muharraq was approved by parliament yesterday (April 21), with Diyar Al Muharraq a potential location.

It has been proposed to accommodate an anticipated surge in the number of students seeking higher education, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Education Minister and acting Parliament and Shura Council Affairs Minister Dr Majid Al Nuaimi told MPs that negotiations were already underway with landowners to acquire a suitable plot for the campus.

Busaiteen had been suggested as a possible location by MPs behind the idea, but the minister said that might not be the case.

The campus will be paid for by the government with a budget due to be included in the budget for 2017.

"When we heard about the proposal presented by MPs, before we officially received or discussed it, I ordered a study to be conducted by the university - and the positives outweighed the negatives," said Dr Al Nuaimi, who is also the university chairman.

"We have two campuses now, the main one in Sakhir and the College of Engineering in Isa Town, which we will have to move so that Bahrain Polytechnic can incorporate it as part of its facilities.

"Muharraq is our destination for a new campus, but we have not yet selected the location.

"There are bids for several and we will select the best, ask the government to buy it and prepare designs."

University vice-president for planning and development Dr Waheeb Alnasser told the GDN that a comprehensive plan was already in place - including staffing requirements and the number of courses available there.

"We will have 15 Bachelor programmes, which is around 38 sections, which will accommodate up to 4,000 students," he said.

"Space needed for facilities - whether educational, recreational, restaurants, mosque, library or rest areas - is 27,300 square metres.

"The needed staff will be 172 lecturers and 95 administrators.

"We have received the lowest offer from the investors of Diyar Al Muharraq, who offered BD8 per foot, as they want to urbanise their project - attracting people to live there and conduct business."

Parliament youth and sports committee chairman Ali Bu Farsan said because Muharraq was far from the Sakhir campus, many young residents chose to join the military or police instead of continuing their studies.

"If the new campus is opened, then the governorate will be getting more investment and business, with complimenting services needed," he said.

"There is a cluster at the Sakhir campus and it is affecting the road network there, while there are not enough car park spaces for students who decide to park anywhere not to miss lectures." - TradeArabia News Service
 




Tags: Bahrain | university | new | Campus | muharraq |

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