Work begins on new RAK campus

Dr Tayeb Kamali says the go-ahead for the project is "very good news".

Work has begun on a new college in Ras al Khaimah that will have space for 2,000 Emirati women. The Ras al Khaimah Women's College campus, one of the Higher Colleges of Technology, is due to be completed in 16 months, and students will no longer have to use temporary classrooms at the current location. Dr Tayeb Kamali, the HCT vice chancellor, said it was "very good news" the project had been given the go-ahead by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

"It's going to be extraordinary," Dr Kamali said of the new campus. "The growth in our numbers meant that we needed a bigger campus." The college has had to use a variety of temporary buildings for several years, Dr Kamali said, adding however that inside it was not obvious they were temporary facilities. "They've been servicing the students to some extent, but there's a limit to what temporary facilities can provide," he said. "In the HCT, we emphasise the ambience of the learning" environment.

The importance of having new facilities means the HCT had adopted a "very aggressive" timetable for the construction of the college, Dr Kamali said. The building will be in keeping with the HCT's policy of having facilities that are "open and conducive to learning", he added. There are 1,320 students at RAK Women's College, although the new facility will allow for considerable expansion. The number of Emiratis reaching university age will grow significantly in the coming years due to increases in the birth rate, and federal institutions are expected to have to take on more students as a result.

Ras al Khaimah Women's College was founded at its current location in 1993. The HCT as a whole has more than 18,000 students. @Email:[e-mail]