Milestone Project to Unify Entire UAE Higher Education Data for Improved Planning and Decision Making

Dubai, UAE - March 2nd 2009: The Department of Higher Education Policy Planning and Coordination (HEPPC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), has selected SunGard Higher Education, one of the world's leading software and IT services companies, to help create a national data warehouse that will integrate data from all segments of higher education in the UAE as well as other data sources. 

Specifically designed for higher education, the new data warehouse will facilitate a single source of data access across higher education authorities and institutions in the UAE. It will also provide data integrity, security and accuracy as well as help policy makers in strategic planning.

Subha Al Shamisi, executive director for Higher Education and Scientific Research Affairs, stated: "A highly skilled workforce is essential for the social and economic future of the UAE, and we must ensure a quality education for the next generation of Emiratis so they can lead the nation forward. We therefore sought an IT partner with knowledge and expertise in higher education to help us build our higher education to world class standards, and SunGard Higher Education has the reputation for delivering the best solutions."

With over a third of the UAE population under the age of fifteen, there is a reinforced strategic focus on education. Government authorities are looking to technology to help them plan and make decisions that will achieve better quality and access to higher education in the UAE.

The first stage deployment of the project was completed in November 2008; when implemented, the national data warehouse will combine data from the three federal institutions of higher education: UAE University, Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology - all of which use SunGard Higher Education software solutions to help run their campuses. Among other federal and non-federal organizations that will include data in the national data warehouse are the Commission for Academic Accreditation, the National Admissions and Placement Office, the Scholarship and Cultural Foreign Relations Department, and the Academic Equivalency Department.   

"This project with MOHESR further reinforces our long-term commitment to supporting the region's higher education vision," said Mathew Boice, general manager, Middle East, SunGard Higher Education.

"The way data is organized and used is crucial for successful reporting, strategic planning and decision making.  The Banner Performance Reporting and Analytics solutions from SunGard Higher Education will deliver one comprehensive environment to help support the use of data by all stakeholders in the UAE higher education space," Mr. Boice added.

The UAE federal government recently reaffirmed its commitment to education with an allocation of AED 7.4 billion to the sector for 2009. It is anticipated that a portion of these funds will be allocated to IT infrastructures to help drive further excellence and opportunity in the delivery of quality education for the next generation of Emiratis.  

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About Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Established by federal decree in 1992, the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research directs the planning and implementation of higher education policies in the United Arab Emirates. Since its formation, the Ministry has been under the leadership and forward looking direction of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan. The Ministry is the lead administrative coordinating agency for higher education, promoting awareness of higher education issues throughout the Emirates, advocating for the funding of higher education, and coordinating important aspects of the higher education sector through a number of specialized departments.

About SunGard Higher Education
SunGard Higher Education provides software and support, systems implementation and integration, strategic consulting, and technology management services to help colleges and universities build, unify, and manage their digital campuses.  Bringing together people, processes, and technology, SunGard Higher Education assists 1,600 customers worldwide to strengthen institutional performance through improved constituent services, increased accountability, and better educational experiences.  www.sungardhe.com. 

About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world's leading software and IT services companies.  SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries, including the world's 25 largest financial services companies.

SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector.   SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software.

With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 472 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and services company on the Forbes list of private businesses. Based on information compiled by Datamonitor*, SunGard is the third largest provider of business applications software after Oracle and SAP. Continuity, Insurance & Risk has recognized SunGard as service provider of the year an unprecedented five times.  For more information, please visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.

*January 2009 Technology Vendors Financial Database Tracker http://www.datamonitor.com

Trademark Information: SunGard, the SunGard logo and Banner are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information contact:
Toju Ogbe
BPG PR for SunGard Higher Education
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 295 3456
Fax: +971 4 295 1027
Mob: +971 50 104 5113
e-mail: toju@batespangulf.com

© Press Release 2009