SDG 5: GENDER EQUALITY

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Within the university context, this commitment involves ensuring that access, retention, and completion of higher education take place under equitable conditions for all genders.

At Ahlia University, the institution recognizes the importance of implementing policies and mechanisms that guarantee women's participation at every stage of the educational process: from application and admission to the completion of academic programs. The university has made progress in the collection of gender-based data, the transparent publication of admission criteria and study conditions, and the establishment of affirmative actions that promote female inclusion in specific academic programs.

This report analyzes how Ahlia University contributes to the fulfillment of SDG 5, specifically in the monitoring of women's application, acceptance, and study completion rates, as well as in the assurance of equal conditions for access and participation between men and women, reflecting the institution's commitment to non-discrimination and educational equity.

5.6.7 Does your university as a body have measurement/tracking of women's likelihood of graduating compared to men's, and schemes in place to close any gap?

Facts & Figures

Equal Opportunity

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Since inception, Ahlia University has championed equal opportunity and women empowerment. This is manifest in the University's core values: Excellence, inclusiveness, integrity, collegiality, ambition, and engagement.

Equal Opportunity Plan

• To promote the principle of equal opportunity through gender-responsive policy design that achieves coherent linkage with the national legislative/policy framework within the context of multilevel (international, nationally, organizational) policy frameworks on inclusion, equal opportunity and women empowerment.
• To empower women by integrating their needs in development programmes.
• To foster a safe and supportive work environment that ensures work-life balance, life-long learning, and competitiveness for women.
• To collaborate with allies and partners to mainstream the culture of equal opportunity to society at large.
• To support national strategies as a progressive and model organization for women.

Initiative 1

• Develop a systematic and sustainable approach to equal opportunity and women empowerment through institutionalization of practice.
• Create a centralized advisory body to oversee progress and institutionalize practice
• Employ a targeted approach vis-à-vis professional development, capacity-building, and up-skilling programs to redress gender imbalance issues

Initiative 2

• Leverage partnerships for knowledge sharing and exchange of best practice in the areas of equal opportunity and women empowerment.
• Organize conferences/symposia with a focus on equal opportunity and/or women topics
• Develop a common understanding and framework with local and international partners on topics related to equal opportunity and women in STEM

Initiative 3

• Champion the principle of equal opportunity through awareness campaigns, activities, and events.
• Plan and organize women-focused events for students and staff
• Develop gender-responsive policies that foster work-life balance and life-long learning
• Develop and utilize data collection instruments to gauge and measure awareness/impact.

EMPOWERING WOMEN Facts & Figures

In line with our core values, from inclusiveness to integrity, the Equal Opportunity Committee at Ahlia University has recently conducted a self-evaluation exercise in relation to women empowerment and equal opportunity at the University.

The results published cover the period 2016-20, in line with the former institutional strategic plan 2016-20.

We look forward to achieving new milestones as we work to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and continue our efforts to mainstream the principle of equal opportunity throughout the university and beyond.

Numbers in SDG5 Gender Equality

Directorate of Admission and Registration

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In order to take these measurements into account and analyze these values, Ahlia has a "Directorate of Admission & Registration", which is created to carry out the entire process for students, from their application for admission, their admission and their subsequent graduation.

As Directorate of Admission and Registration, its main objective is to welcome applications from all students regardless of race, color, gender, religion, nationality or physical or learning disability. Admission to AU is based on merit, where there are a limited number of places available for each program, considering the measurement of both men and women, to seek the equality between them.

Ahlia School for Children

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Accessible childcare facilities for students which allow recent mothers to attend university courses

Ahlia University supports students womens and mens' who have children and want to study at the university and staff, In this sense AU offers an alternative in which an entity close to the university welcomes the children while their parents carry out their studies or work at the university.

University's childcare services from the students at staff of the BAU

Ahlia University made an agreement in collaboration with' Ahlia School provides childcare service to members at the university, includes students who take an active part in one or more courses and university staff.

Ahlia University Scholarships

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Ahlia University provides a scholarship fund for highly qualified students with limited financial resources. Admitted students may apply for financial aid or scholarships as follows.

• Financial Aid: Newly enrolled students are eligible for partial tuition remission if they provide proof of limited financial resources and attain a minimum grade point average of 80% in the last three years of secondary school education.
• Scholarships: Ahlia University offers various kinds of merit scholarships, among which are President's Scholarships and Dean's List Scholarships. The President's scholarships provide students with 100% tuition remission.Current students are eligible for the Dean's List if, among other criteria, they attain a GPA of 3.5 in any given term during the regular academic year. The Dean's List provides a tuition scholarship of 25% for the following academic semester and in the case of the second semester, the Dean's List Scholarship can be applied to summer courses.
• New secondary school graduates with a cumulative GPA 97% and above can apply for a full scholarship. Graduates with 90% or above are entitled to a 25% discount and those with a score of 95% or above are eligible to apply for a scholarship on a first-come-first-served basis.

Tuition Discounts

• Front line workers battling the Corona pandemic and their children: 50%.
• Orphans and people with special needs: 50%.
• High school graduates 95% or more: 50%.
• High school graduates 90% or above: 25%.
• High school graduates 80% or more: 20%.

Ahlia Student Handbook

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The policies in regard to having measurement/tracking of student's likelihood of graduating to both men and women are treated equally and protected against gender discrimination. Some aspects of Student Counselling are defined in Ahlia Student Handbook.

When a student is about to graduate it is important that check carefully, by themselves and with their respective advisors, that all graduation requirements are fulfilled. To qualify for graduation, a student must meet all the requirements of an academic programme in effect during the time he/ she is actively pursuing that programme.

However, upon withdrawing from Ahlia University for one or more semesters, a student who is re-enrolled becomes subject to the rules of re-enrolment, and consequently, to new graduation requirements if, within this period, any changes have been introduced.

If, through no fault of his/her own, a student cannot complete the requirements of a particular programme for which he/she is otherwise eligible (courses are discontinued, new required courses are introduced for which the student does not hold suitable prerequisites, etc.), substitutions may be made by the department, but should be approved by the college. The minimum credit hour requirements should not, in any way, be affected by course substitution. For a student to graduate, he/she must complete the required number of credits in his/her programme. He/she must also attain a grade of C (2.00) or better in his/her cumulative GPA.

Requirements for graduation

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With these requirements for graduation, a documentation is requested, where the gender of the possible graduate is investigated, this in order to have a record of the number of men and women who finish their studies and keep track of these values.

Directorate of Student Counseling & Advising

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The counseling department has been set up with the intent to provide support to ALL students (include women) enrolled at Ahlia University (AU). Counselor's here at AU work for, and in favor of students, with intent to empower them to achieve their optimum potential. We encourage students to utilize the counselor's available: to help them with any concerns coming in the way of meeting an academic success. We believe that all students have dignity and worth and have the right to a safe, mutually respectful, healthy and orderly learning environment. We respect and appreciate diversity while aiming to cultivate unity among our students, faculty, staff, and community.

Students are provided with student-centered counseling services; addressing prevention, intervention and student developmental needs. We hope to help student develop lifelong skills that can assist them in pursuit of their life goals.

Counseling Aims Details

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• ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES
  Includes concerns about GPA, at risk status, probation, attendance, withdrawals, incompletes, study skills, language barrier, registration support, resolving concerns with faculty/staff etc.
• PERSONAL ISSUES COMING IN THE WAY OF ACADEMICS
  For most people, knowing that what they say will be kept private helps them feel more comfortable and have more trust in their counselor. Privacy, also called confidentiality, is an important and necessary part of good counseling. The counselors hold true the basic philosophy of unconditional positive regards, while offering genuine and empathic support through personal concerns that might be hindering a student academically.
• TRANSITIONING TO AHLIA UNIVERSITY
  For some, adjustment to a new environment can be challenging. This could apply to students in their first semester, or even students who have been here for some time but unable to find their niche. We would like to encourage them to approach a counselor, who can help better acquaint them with the university and its life, in the hopes of making this an exciting venture.
• QUESTIONING YOU CHOICE OF MAJOR
  For many University provides them with an opportunity to seek and identify careers better suited to their interests and abilities. This might require guidance and support.

Ahlia provides an online mechanism to access the Counseling by completing the following form to request an appointment online.

Centre for measurement & evaluation

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The responsibilities of the Centre for Measurement & Evaluation (CME) include the creation of policies, the generation of questionnaires and interview surveys, the distribution, collation and interpretation of the results of these questionnaires and any other forms of qualitative and quantitative measures that can help collect and produce data that are important to Ahlia University.

In this case, they are in charge of carrying out the process of measuring the application, admission and completion rate of women who want and study at university, in order to generate possible analyzes and with this generate strategies, if required to include better for women in the education.

The Centre is monitoring the views of alumni and alumnae on the quality of their educational experiences at Ahlia University. Surveys is conducted to gauge the adequacy of the infrastructure, for pilot projects envisioned for the future and any other issues that the Management or the Centre Members view as noteworthy. The data is used for the purposes of improving the quality of teaching and learning, for the evaluation of faculty and staff (including self-assessment), and for gauging the opinions of the faculty and other employees on issues that the Management deems important. The Centre is supervised by an Academic Council consisting of seven members and chaired by Prof. Kailash Madan, Adviser to President for Measurement and Evaluation.

Ahlia University, through the Center for Measurement and Evaluation (CME), keeps track of relevant data such as the percentage of women who graduate compared to men, and accordingly, it generates policies to reduce the gap between men and women. women.

Ahlia University measures the percentage of women from their admission to their subsequent graduation, seeking their equal participation. Ahlia University maintains a policy of equity and diversity that has allowed in recent years to close the gap between male graduates and female graduates.