Awards for Oman education leaders

Two leading figures in education in Oman have received honorary fellowships from the University of Wolverhampton in the UK.

Lefeer Muhamed Marakkarackayil and Dr Abdullah Saif Ahmed Al Sabahi are the founders of the Middle East College in Muscat.

They both received an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of the development of education in Oman at a graduation ceremony in the UK on Friday, 7 September 2012.

Mr Marakkarackayil and Dr Al-Sabahi have strong links to the University of Wolverhampton.

They are both graduates of the University, and established the Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation (AIGA) in Bangalore in partnership with Wolverhampton in 2007.

Mr Marakkarackayil said: “It is with great honour and delight that I accept this award, especially as it is from the University that we studied in, so close to our hearts, the University of Wolverhampton. And indeed it will be my pleasure to continue on this journey of inspiring and learning with young minds.”

Dr Al-Sabahi said: “This award is a great honour for me and the team who have worked very hard to build institutions as a culture of interaction and creativity.

“It was not long ago that we graduated from the portals of the University of Wolverhampton, and it has been our endeavour to replicate the environment and atmosphere we enjoyed while studying here into the campus we have built.”

The University of Wolverhampton’s graduation ceremonies take place at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton, UK, from Thursday, 6 September to Friday, 14 September 2012.

Mr Lefeer Muhamed Marakkarackayil

Mr Marakkarackayil is a University of Wolverhampton alumnus and a distinguished ‘Edupreneur’ in the Middle East and India.

Mr Marakkarackayil and his professional partner Dr Abdullah Al-Sabahi established Middle East College in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Under Mr Marakkarackayil’s leadership as founder and Managing Director, Middle East College is today one of the largest higher education providers in Oman and the Gulf region.

The college offers a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Information Technology, Engineering and Management, to around 4,000 students.

Steering the college to align with national and regional priorities, Mr Marakkarackayil is also engaged with the community through a range of programmes.

Inspiring creative minds has been the hallmark of the institutions established by him. In 2007, Mr Marakkarackayil along with Dr Al-Sabahi established the Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation (AIGA) in Bangalore in academic partnership with the University of Wolverhampton.

Alongside his contributions to the education sector in the Middle East and India, Mr Marakkarackayil is a philanthropist, with a keen interest in Kerala, his home state in India. His expertise has been widely used by governments and communities on development issues including education, sports and rural enhancement.

Dr Abdullah Al-Sabahi

Dr Abdullah Al-Sabahi is a University of Wolverhampton alumnus and a leading educational entrepreneur in the Middle East and India. Dr Al-Sabahi began his career in the early 1990s with Oman Air, before joining the Office of the Special Advisor to His Majesty, the Sultan of Oman, as a Director of External Liaison. During this period he obtained his Master and Doctorate degrees from the University of Wolverhampton.

In 2002, Dr Al-Sabahi joined Halliburton Worldwide Limited Oman, as Quality Manager.

Dr Al-Sabahi ventured into the education sector in the early 2000s when, together with his friend and fellow Wolverhampton alumnus, Mr Lefeer Muhamed Marakkarackayil, he established Middle East College in Muscat.

Under Dr Al-Sabahi’s chairmanship, Middle East College is today one of the largest higher education institutions in Oman and the Gulf region with over 4,000 students. I

n 2007, and in partnership with University of Wolverhampton, Dr Al-Sabahi and Mr Marakkarackayil teamed up once more to establish India’s only dedicated Gaming institution, the Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation (AIGA) in Bangalore.

Alongside his contribution to the education sector Dr Al-Sabahi is an active member of the Research Council of Oman, where he chairs the Research Funding Committee for Education and Human Resources.

ENDS

Picture (L-R): Lefeer Muhamed Marakkarackayil, University of Wolverhampton Vice-Chancellor Professor Geoff Layer and Dr Abdullah Saif Ahmed Al Sabahi

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