Al-Sumait University in Zanzibar: A respectful education facility

ZANZIBAR:

It is well known that knowledge and education are important tools for the progress and prosperity of any nation and with that fact in mind, Kuwait continues to provide educational assistance to the African continent.

One of the most important Kuwaiti institutes that propagated the cause of education in Africa was Al-Sumait University in Zanzibar, Tanzania, which is named after the late Kuwaiti philanthropist Dr Abdulrahman Al-Sumait.

Deputy head of the University Dr Adel Hussain said that the university, established in 1998, only housed one facility that taught the Arabic language and Islamic studies with a mere 25 students receiving education back then.

From 2001 onwards, the university continued to grow until it received recognition from the supreme Tanzanian educational authorities, said Dr Hussain who revealed that the institute now has some 1,000 students enrolled.

Dr Hussain said that the university, which has an academic staff of 50 lecturers, offered now some 14 majors for students to pursue their education, affirming that this would not have happened without the generous aid of the Kuwaiti leadership and people.

Some 3,400 students have graduated from Al-Sumait University so far and that is all thanks to late Dr Abdulrahman Al-Sumait who first planted the seeds of this successful university, said Dr Hussain. Al-Sumait University falls under the jurisdiction of the Direct Aid Society which began its operations in 1981. It is a Non-Government Organization (NGO). — KUNA

DUBAI: Kuwaiti astronomer honored

The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) of the Government of Dubai awarded Dr Saleh Al-Ajiri, a Kuwait astronomer, for his efforts in setting the exact timings of prayers. The honoring took place on the fringes of a forum on the standards of the timings of prayers in the presence of Khaled Al-Jom’an - an astronomer at Saleh Al-Ajiri’s observatory, and IACAD Director-General Dr Hamad Al-Shaibani. Jom’an who received the award on behalf of Dr Al-Ajizi, said Dr Al-Ajiri dedicated nearly 70 years of his lifetime in setting the Higri (Arabic lunar) calendar in a precise and scientific way. “Dr Al-Ajiri’s professionalism enriched the astronomical techniques in the Arabian Gulf region,” Jom’an said. — KUNA