Arab Open University – Kingdom of Bahrain held its graduation ceremony for the 18th cohort of Bachelor’s degree graduates and the 8th cohort of Master’s degree graduates, comprising a total of 399 male and female graduates. The ceremony was held at Exhibition World Bahrain, in the presence of Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council; HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Arab Open University; Prof. Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Zekri, President of Arab Open University in the Arab World; alongside a number of officials, academic and administrative staff, parents, and invited guests.

On this occasion, the Minister of Education extended his highest expressions of gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their continued support and patronage of the educational sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also extended his heartfelt congratulations to the graduates and their families, wishing them continued success in their future endeavours, while commending Arab Open University – Bahrain for its efforts in delivering academic services.

the Minister reaffirmed the Higher Education Council’s continued support for all higher education institutions and its commitment to encouraging investment in this vital sector, with the aim of positioning the Kingdom of Bahrain as an attractive destination for students from across the region.

For his part, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Arab Open University, praised the support and patronage the University has received from the Kingdom of Bahrain since its establishment, under the prosperous reign of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He emphasised that this support has contributed significantly to the success of the University's mission and the achievement of its educational and developmental objectives.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz highlighted the role of Arab Open University in expanding access to higher education, promoting development, and building communities. He noted that the University has served more than 400,000 students and graduated over 90,000 male and female graduates from various nationalities, reflecting the impact of its educational mission across the Arab world. He also emphasised the importance of graduates continuing their journey of learning, contribution, and excellence, and playing an active role in serving their countries and communities.

In his address, Prof. Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Zekri, President of Arab Open University in the Arab World, reaffirmed the University's commitment to continuously developing its academic, research, and training programmes, while strengthening the integration of modern technologies and innovation into the educational process to keep pace with global developments and meet labour market needs.

He also highlighted several achievements in the University's ongoing development journey, including the opening of its tenth branch in the Kingdom of Morocco, the launch of the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, and its attainment of international institutional quality accreditation from the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) until 2031, in addition to the ISO 9001:2015 International Quality Management System certification.

Furthermore, he noted the University's progress in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2026, where it was placed in the 601–800 global band and ranked 64th worldwide in the Quality Education indicator, further strengthening its academic standing and contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

For her part, Dr. Najma Taqi, President of Arab Open University – Kingdom of Bahrain, expressed her pride in celebrating a new cohort of graduates, emphasising that this achievement reflects years of dedication, hard work, and perseverance, while marking the beginning of a new chapter of contribution and accomplishment.

She affirmed that the graduates are ambassadors of the University's educational mission and encouraged them to pursue lifelong learning, professional development, and excellence, while contributing positively to their countries and communities. She also stressed the University's commitment to maintaining strong connections with its graduates and supporting them through training and professional development opportunities, workshops, and postgraduate programmes.

In their address, the graduates expressed their happiness and pride in completing their academic journey, acknowledging the efforts of the University and its academic and administrative staff in supporting and empowering them to achieve this milestone. They also extended their gratitude to their families and parents for their continuous encouragement and support throughout their years of study.