Her Excellency, Dr. Rawya Al Busaidi, Minister Of Higher Education, Sultanate Of Oman, Visits Cardiff Met

Her Excellency, Dr. Rawya Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education, Sultanate of Oman, visited Cardiff Metropolitan University on 12 October 2016. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Minister was welcomed by Miss Barbara Wilding CBE, QPM, Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors; Professor Cara Carmichael Aitchison, President and Vice-Chancellor; and Professor Mohamed Loutfi, Pro Vice Chancellor (International). ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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The visit came as a result of initial discussions that took place in Oman in early September 2016 during which a Cardiff Met delegation, together with the Gulf College Oman, met with the Minister to present the growing transnational education partnership. A key part of these discussions covered the exploration of Cardiff Met’s teacher training provision and the range of Art and Design programmes available at Cardiff Met. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

During the visit to Cardiff Met’s Llandaff campus, the Minister was introduced to how the University holds enterprise at the core of its strategy by Professor David Brooksbank, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Enterprise). Professor Brooksbank demonstrated the links between both the PDR (International Centre for Design and Research) and Food Technology Centre with local industries. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Professor Olwen Moseley, Dean of Cardiff School of Art and Design, conducted a tour of the school for the Minister, including its ceramics, woodwork, and metalwork facilities, incubation (Inc) space, and Cardiff Met’s FabLab (fabrication laboratory). ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Professor Dan Davies, Dean of the Cardiff School of Education, presented to the Minister on the high quality of Secondary PGCE programmes in Mathematics and Science at Cardiff Met. Generating around 330 new teachers per year, Cardiff Met is part of the largest initial teacher education centre in Wales, and one of the largest in the UK. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cara Carmichael Aitchison, said: “We were delighted to welcome Her Excellency to Cardiff Metropolitan University to see in practice the strengths of our University and discuss how we may advance further our in-depth relationship with Oman. The visit was an opportunity to enhance such a valued relationship, and together with our transnational education partner Gulf College Oman, which hosts more than 2,000 Cardiff Met students, we look forward with great excitement to the future.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​