Quality, global engagement are top strategic priorities of Gulf Medical University
Ajman: Advancing its strategic objectives aimed at producing global medical professionals of the future, the leadership of Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, one of the leading medical universities in the region, has initiated a series of measures to enhance quality and global engagement; two of its top strategic priorities. To this end, the Board of Trustees of GMU headed by Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder and President, recently appointed Prof. Sherief Khalifa, the Dean of GMU’s College of Pharmacy as the University’s Vice Chancellor for Quality and Global Engagement.
The new Vice-Chancellor will be instrumental in taking forward the University’s quality and internationalization initiatives, particularly related to the management of improvement projects as well as undertakings and collaborations of strategic importance that support the University’s strategic objectives. “The Board of Trustees is happy to announce the appointment of Prof. Sherief Khalifa as Vice Chancellor for Quality and Global Engagement, in view of Gulf Medical University’s growing strategic partnerships with 60+ universities worldwide, and the increasing numbers of national/international accreditations for various programs. Today, GMU is respected far and wide for our deep commitment to making a difference in the fields of medical education, healthcare and research,” Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder, President – Board of Trustees, Gulf Medical University.
Apart from the University’s continued focus on quality enhancement with regard to improving the teaching and training methodologies/technologies and student academic performance, the quality aspect would also seek to analyze and program outcomes and identify/prioritize areas requiring improvement. The global engagement aspect would facilitate the development of strategic partnerships and collaborations with international universities and institutions, facilitating student/faculty exchanges and exchanges and cooperation in academia and research. These are in addition to the University’s efforts to enable the students to get a global experience, and facilitating mobility throughout their student and professional lives.
Congratulating the new vice chancellor, Prof. Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor of GMU said, “Medical education worldwide has transformed significantly in recent years, moving beyond classroom lectures, to technology-intensive training and hands-on learning. GMU not only uses technology, but we also produce technology to actively improve the quality of learning, giving our students a distinctive edge as they step out into the professional world. We have developed partnerships with several international universities and research institutions, which have been crucial to our students acquiring global perspective and employability. With his extensive career as an outstanding academician, I am confident that Prof. Sherief Khalifa is well placed to support GMU’s journey ahead, in our mission to produce healthcare professionals of the future.”
Prof. Sherief Khalifa has many years of experience in higher education in the Middle East region. He had joined the College of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University in August of 2017 as Professor and Dean. He was appointed as a member of ACPE’s International Services Program for a two-year term (2018 – 2019). ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education) is one of the leading international agencies in quality assurance of pharmacy education.
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Ashram Teacher, hailed as hero last year, booked for sexual abuse of minor boys
Ujjain: In September last year, a teacher at an Ujjain ashram “came to the aid” of a minor rape victim who was going door to door seeking help. The same teacher has now been arrested along with a caretaker for allegedly sexually abusing at least three minor boys at their ashram.
Three FIRs under relevant provisions of the IPC as well as under multiple sections of the POCSO Act have been registered by the police against the 21-year-old teacher, Rahul Sharma, and ashram caretaker Ajay Thakur. The police further informed that both have been sent to judicial custody, adding that there are many more victims who haven’t filed a complaint yet.
Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma told The Indian Express: “So far three children have come forward and made the allegations. We have arrested two persons in this case.”
In September 2023, CCTV footage emerged of the minor girl, bleeding and partially clothed, after she was raped by an autorickshaw driver. The footage showed no one coming to her aid even as she walked around the area for an hour, with one resident even shooing her away.
Sharma had said he helped the girl after he spotted her outside the ashram. At the time, he had told The Indian Express: “This is a holy town, people here are supposed to be helpful, but no one helped her… there was no humanity.”
The police have ruled out any connection with the Ujjain rape case for now. “We sent through 200 CCTV videos and his role has so far been ruled out,” said a senior police officer. According to police, children from poor families were sent to be trained as pandits in this ashram, affiliated to the state Sanskrit board.
Around 10 days ago, a minor boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Thakur complained to his mother when he returned home. “The parents of the child came to the ashram. Then the ashram worker Thakur was sacked. Later, many more parents visited the ashram and levelled allegations,” said a senior officer.
The ashram authorities contacted police after several parents made allegations against Sharma and had a confrontation with the ashram official. An ashram official, Gajanand, said: “We called the police to help us but they arrested our staff. The allegations are false.”
However, the officer said: “When we arrived, we found that the ashram officials were the suspects. There are many more victims in this case and we tried to convince them to file a case. Policemen dressed in civil clothes also tried speaking to the children, but they refused as they were scared,” the officer said.
