AOU Chairman Moudi Al Humoud Kuwait - Arab Today Rector of the Arab Open University (AOU) Former Minister of Education & Higher Education Moudi Al Humoud said on Sunday the university is scheduled to open its new branch in Sudan during next February to be the eighth branch after Egypt, Kuwait, KSA, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon, and three other branches will be opened later in Mauritania, Morocco and Palestine. In a statement to MENA, she added open education is the future method of education in the world but it still faces administrative and social challenges as it depends on the use of technology not owned by some Arab countries. She stressed the importance of transferring the experiences of developed countries in this for the University branches and the promotion of international cooperation between prestigious universities to take advantage of their expertise, pointing out that this was the main objective of the first international conference for Open Education organized by the University under the auspices of the Emir of Kuwait and with the participation of three ministers of higher education in Kuwait, Lebanon and Sudan and a group of specialists and interested researchers from 11 Arab countries and 6 foreign countries. The conference resulted in five key recommendations related to the importance of open education and distance learning to meet the growing demand for higher education, using technology for education research, investment in the use of modern technology, the need for using open education as a tool for developing the capacities of individuals and society and encouraging scientific research to upgrade this form of education. The AOU is part of a development project adopted by Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, the President of the Arab Gulf Program for Development. It includes four majors: information technology, business administration, English language and education. There are other programs in the pipeline which include engineering, legal studies, media studies and medical management. Source: MENA