Professor Gita Ashok Raj, Gulf Medical University, Ajman participates as a ‘Speaker’ in the 1st QS-Maple Conference & Exhibition.

Middle East and African higher education institutions are steadily developing international linkages and recruiting more international students. Many now send delegates to the main international education conferences – NAFSA in USA and EAIE in Europe. Academics and administrators now seek a regional forum for exchange of knowledge and opinion in their professional sectors, one that will address the key issues and challenges that are specific to their international development. A major area concerns the evaluation of Middle East and African universities in a regional and global context, which is widely sought and a forum for discussion of the issues involved will create much interest.

A major area concerns the ranking and evaluation of Middle East and African universities in regional and global contexts, as they are increasingly seeking world recognition to attract both faculty and students from around the world. An international forum for discussion of the issues involved will therefore be relevant and will create much interest among them.

To date, no regular forum for such discussion and debate exists in the Middle East. The QS Middle East and Africa Professional Leaders in Education Conference and Exhibition – QS-MAPLE – was conceived to fill this gap.

QS-MAPLE serves as a veritable forum that promotes the development of higher education in the Middle East and Africa in the global context, one that stimulates international partnership and collaboration. The event will also support the processes of institutional evaluation and upgrading that will lead to greater worldwide recognition of universities in the region.

Professor Gita Ashok Raj, Provost – Gulf Medical University, Ajman participated as a ‘Speaker’ in the 1^st QS-Maple Conference & Exhibition held on 1-2 May, 2011 at Dubai Knowledge Village, Dubai.  Based on the internationalizing the student experience, she spoke at length on the ‘Challenges of establishing a Private Medical University and a Private Teaching Hospital in the Gulf’ followed by Q & A  session.