Algonquin College’s faculty union is criticizing the college for its newly acquired international campus in Saudi Arabia.
Algonquin won a bid in July 2013 to operate one of 10 new English-language colleges in Saudi Arabia in a public-private partnership with the country’s equivalent to the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, called the Technical & Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC).
With a full enrolment of 2,000 students, revenues at the Jazan Economic City campus are expected to exceed $100 million over five years, according to a press release by the college in July.
Jack Wilson, vice-president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union local 415, which represents Algonquin faculty, said the school erred in opening a branch in a country that does not share core Canadian values of equality and other basic rights.
“The core values of our college are caring, integrity, and respect,” Wilson said. “Human rights are a key indicator of how we respect one another. Respect is what Saudi Arabia clearly lacks.”
The union said Saudi Arabia’s discrimination against women, which it describes as “gender apartheid,” makes it particularly galling that the college agreed to the campus extension in Jazan, which is male-only.
The Economist ranked Saudi Arabia 163 out of 167 countries on its latest Democracy Index, just ahead of Syria and North Korea.
In May, five Yemeni men that were found guilty of murder were beheaded and hanged in front of the University of Jazan, according to Amnesty International.
Wilson said the opportunity for revenue should not outweigh concerns over the lack of democratic values.
“Of all the countries, why choose this one? It’s a lucrative market, perhaps, but it is not worth the loss of credibility for the college supporting the regime in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Algonquin has had a presence in Saudi Arabia since 2010, providing educational services in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian government, according to Algonquin’s communications officer Phil Gaudreau. In that time it has trained several hundred Saudi male students in hands-on skills like electrical engineering, he said.
Algonquin had bid for both a male and a female college but were unsuccessful in obtaining a female one, according to Gaudreau. He said the college would keep trying in the future and intends to bid on a female college again next year.
“There are ten colleges for men and women in Saudi Arabia, now teaching women business and technology skills for the first time ever,” Gaudreau said. “They want us to be there and it’s great to be able to contribute to that change.”
Gaudreau said it is important to have a presence in countries that do not necessarily reflect the values of Canadian democracy.
“If we only collaborate with countries that share our values, we lose the opportunity to be a force for good internationally,” he said. “Education is the greatest tool, which you can use to change the world, to paraphrase Nelson Mandela, and that’s a firm belief that we hold. By exposure to other cultures, other ideas, people are educated about their options. Education is a tool for change.”
Gaudreau said countries that have more developed education systems do not need help, unlike countries like Saudi Arabia.
“Values in Saudi Arabia may be different than ours from a political standpoint but the people are open,” he said. “More importantly, they want to learn more about our system and we have the opportunity to be a force for good.”
But Wilson said the training Algonquin is providing would not make the country more democratic.
“I have no doubt that the people who are providing training in business are giving a quality education but how is that helping promote a freer and more democratic Saudi Arabia?” he said. “All we’re doing is simply teaching skills but not teaching minds. We’re simply enabling the hands to continue supporting the regime.”
