Assem Al-Hajj, President, Khawarizmi International College (KIC) • Interview

KIC used its renowned health and medical sciences departments to support the fight against COVID-19 in the UAE, both academically and clinically.

PRESIDENT KHAWARIZMI INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE (KIC) How are you coping with the pandemic as an organization?

We have responded quickly and effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. We put in a rapid response team in place at every campus and as a result had very few cases of COVID-19. Another factor is that we are the first educational institution in the UAE to offer the bachelor’s degree in respiratory care. We also launched a new degree in emergency medical care. The leadership in the UAE acted quickly and decisively at the outset of COVID-19. There were a number of requirements and requests from the authority that we immediately implemented. The first was to immediately go fully online with the aim of saving the semester. We were in the middle of the semester at that time, and since we had concluded all of our mid-term exams, we were able to proceed to a spring break for two weeks without major problems. However, in those two weeks, we worked day and night to prepare for online learning. We carried out the necessary training for our faculty, and we revised and moved all the teaching material online. We also had to make sure our students were ready as well. Some students did not have a computer, so we provided them with computers as well as software and training that would enable them to get the most out of the online learning provision.

How has the online e-learning system impacted your system?

From the beginning, it was clear we had to go online. A creative member of the marketing team suggested the idea of a smart platform, and we reassigned teachers to better implement this. Our physical trainer was not able to engage in person with students, so we decided he should work on the smart platform, and through this mechanism, we were able to continue sports. Other valuable but non-academic services also continued, such as counseling sessions. We were able to support staff and students throughout the pandemic and it is still continuing, by engaging our medical personnel to give advice and information from official and medical sources on how to deal with COVID-19. We also trained all our staff under a special COVID-19 training program from the WHO.

How did the university create linkages between the university and the healthcare sector?

Our recently introduced respiratory care and emergency medical programs have been a success for KIC and are in high demand in the hospital and healthcare industry. Such demand was further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. KIC is collaborating with Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA), where we trained more than 150 medical professionals, including physicians and nurses, as a part of preparedness to combat the pandemic crisis. The training program lasted for a month and was about essentials of respiratory care during COVID-19. The hands-on training sessions were customized for SEHA to fit its requirements in the intensive care settings. KIC and SEHA have also agreed to set a partnership in the COVID-19 research registry of the Department of Health- Abu Dhabi. The health and medical sciences department at KIC is well prepared with its faculty members and facilities to support the fight against COVID-19, academically or clinically.

How is KIC adapting to the new reality?

The outbreak has disrupted life as we know it, pushed us all to accept new realities, and pressed us to be innovative and discover new ways of doing things. For example, now we have figured out ways to conduct external examinations of the college without flying in international inspectors from other parts of the world. We conducted a major UAE, CAA four-day inspection online, which was very thorough and positive. Through an agreement with one of the UAE banks, we are now able to accept students’ payments online. The old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” is true. When pushed, people adapt quickly, and we have seen a massive and rapid shift in mindset, which will be beneficial in moving the college forward.