DOHA: Academic Bridge Programme (ABP), a centre of the Qatar Foundation, yesterday received an international accreditation as recognition for its academic standards, by the Commission on English Language Programme Accreditation.

The Commission on English Language Programme Accreditation, a US-based body which develops standards for intensive English programmes, has recognised the ABP, initially for five years. This will allow any student graduating from the ABP with high grades to enter an American University skipping its foundation course.

“We have received it today. It took three years to meet the requirements, they have very strict requirements in 32 different standards,” Dr Miles Lovelace, Director, ABP, told The Peninsula on sidelines of the New Students Orientation held yesterday. “The only other school has this accreditation in Qatar is the Qatar University,” said Dr Lovelace. The Commission on English Language Programme Accreditation takes several standards of any institution into consideration while granting accreditation including, standards of the faculty, facilities, financial recourses, fair and professional methods of recruiting students, good record keeping and the success of the students.

“It took us more than two years to get the accreditation, the actual beginning was in June 2008 and we succeeded with the visit of a team from Washington DC in 2011, which made a report to the commission,” said Dr Lovelcae. “We are going to celebrate this achievement soon and a representative from Washington will present the certificate officially to the president of Qatar Foundation,” said Dr Lovelace. The ABP will also soon negotiate with certain British Universities to get its accreditation accepted as a foundation level course.

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