TORONTO — Ontario's colleges and universities minister is expressing no concerns that two of the province's post secondary institutions have opened campuses in Saudi Arabia that don't accept female students.
Niagara College offers tourism, hospitality and business courses at its campus in Taif, and Algonquin College offers 10 programs, including business, accounting and electrical engineering technology, at a campus in the city of Jazan.
The two campuses were set up under Saudi Arabia's so-called colleges of excellence program, which operates under Sharia law and prohibits the education of men and women in the same classes.
Colleges Minister Reza Moridi was unavailable for an interview, but in a statement to The Canadian Press said decisions on the operation of a campus, including staffing and student composition, are up to each colleges' boards of governors.
"I understand and appreciate the perspectives that have been raised in recent weeks about these educational activities," said Moridi. "I am proud of the advancements that Ontario's colleges are making in bringing our high-quality programming around the world."
Algonquin College announced in 2013 that it hoped to have 2,000 students at its campus in Saudi Arabia and expected to generate annual revenues of more than $25 million. But the Ottawa-based college refused to provide any update on its operations in Saudi Arabia or even confirm that it excludes women from the classes.
"We have no new information to provide other than what is already publicly available," Algonquin public relations spokesman Phil Gaudreau said in an email.
Niagara College said opening a Saudi campus was an opportunity to expand access to education there and enhance its own reputation, and it expects to generate $4 million over five years from its classes in Taif.
The "colleges of excellence" program created campuses for both male and female students in Saudi Arabia, but Niagara's classes are only for males, confirmed spokeswoman Susan McConnell.
"The campus opportunity that most closely aligns with our key areas of specialization is the campus with a hospitality and tourism focus," she said. "This campus provides education to male students. It offers public spaces open to both females and males through the on-campus hotel and restaurant learning enterprises."
The controversy over Ontario colleges operating in Saudi Arabia comes as the federal government faces pressure to kill a $15-billion sale of Ontario-made LAV3 vehicles to the kingdom.
The sale came under fire after the Saudis executed 47 alleged terrorists Jan. 1, but the Trudeau government says it won't cancel the deal made by the previous Conservative administration.
