http://www.english.hadhramaut.info PM Chairs joint meeting of Higher Council of Universities and HCEP [The Source: Sanaa/Saba News/Hadhramaut.info - 16/12/2006] SANA'A, Dec. 16(Saba)- Prime Minister Abdul-Qadr Ba-Jamal chaired, Saturday, the joint meeting of the Higher Council of Universities (HCU) and Higher Council of Education Planning (HCEP) to discuss a number of issues relevant to the educational and academic process in the Yemeni universities for the current academic year. The meeting discussed requirements to insert some updates in scientific majors and possibilities to open up new scientific departments and reframe some faculties, specially the faculties of education, medicine and engineering, in addition to the special mechanism of the organizing the process of granting scholarships for higher education. The council studied a proposal represented by the general secretary of the HCEP regarding starting new departments for the scientific specializations to cover the need of new requirements which recently established Yemen labor market. It assigned Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the secretary general of the HCEP to hold contacts with the Authority of Academic Accreditation to assess the scientific curricula in the Yemeni universities in order to present an integral and scientific vision on the situation of education which, in turn, would result in evaluating education outputs and reframing. The meeting also banned contractions with foreign doctors except in the rare specializations, referring concerned authorities to coordinate with the Ministry of Civil Service and Insurance to prepare a bylaw organizing this process. It also agreed on Dhamar University request to open three new departments which are Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Animal Technology and Food Industry. The meeting appointed universities rectors to prepare a study for the needed scholarships for the majors which are not available to study in Yemen and to discuss this study with the minister of planning and international cooperation and the general secretariat for education planning and then to deliver it to the chairman of the HCEP, PM, to approve it. The council also studied a report presented by the ministry of higher education and scientific research on the universities admissions for the academic year 2006-2007 as well as a report on the process of the unified exams of medicine universities seniors in 2006, which was highly valued by the council, presented by the supervising committee. It praised the WHO for supporting this process. Moreover, the meeting came across another report presented by the ministry of higher education and scientific research over defining the legal situation of the private universities. As for the financial situation, it affirmed that these private universities should undergo the law of companies. It also studied a memo presented by the minister of higher education regarding establishing a Yemeni-Jordanian university to which it showed approval and directed concerned authorities to fulfill required procedures for the establishment according to the law.