Bahraini students whose certificates have not been ratified by education officials have been blamed for attending unaccredited universities abroad.

Education Minister Dr Majid Al Nuaimi said the Higher Education Council, which has a list of approved overseas universities, has repeatedly urged Bahrainis to stop enrolling in unaccredited academic institutions, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"Some of the students have filed court cases against the Education Ministry, on the basis that they were not aware (of the list)," he told MPs yesterday.

"We have won most of the cases while others are still being looked at.

"The lists are subject to change and it's the students' duty to check whether the university they are studying in is still there or not - sometimes accredited ones are removed and non-accredited are added, it is all based on international standards and criteria."

He responded to a question by parliament's woman and child committee chairwoman Ibtisam Hejres on reasons behind removing Cairo University from the list.

Twenty students from the university have been campaigning in front of the National Assembly Complex for weeks, demanding their degrees get accredited by the council.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Sadiq Al Shehabi said there has been no overspending on treatment abroad.

"We have a BD3 million ($7.9 million) budget and it could be exceeded, depending on cases that we can't treat here in Bahrain," he said.

"There are illnesses that can be treated at only one place in the whole world and we have to take the patient there immediately with a companion.

"This is not about saving money or spending it on improving our facilities and our doctors."

He was responding to a question by MP Dr Jamal Saleh on reasons behind sending people abroad instead of treating them in Bahrain.
He also told MPs, in response to a question, that the ministry has 41 health inspectors checking shops, restaurants and cafes, along with 28 stationed at borders.

"We have a shortage, but we are trying our best to reduce food poisoning cases," he added.

MP Ali Al Durazi also questioned Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa on the number of cases being reviewed by the Labour Dispute Commission.

The minister said 13 cases have been brought forward since the commission opened on January 7.

"Backdated cases can be looked at and we will accept requests from the date they are submitted, so the one-year expiration is according to submission and not the date of the problem," he added. - TradeArabia News Service