RAK looks to UK to boost student intake

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) College of Dental Sciences is negotiating a marketing deal with UK medical associations in a bid to ramp up student numbers, MED has learnt.

The United Arab Emirates facility is courting the Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons in the UK (APPS UK) and the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) to act as marketing agents for its courses.

Professor Ramanda Prabhu, dean of RAK's College of Dental Sciences said that the aim was to establish a promotional relationship with the two associations.

"It is purely promotion. There will be no teaching collaboration at all and there will be no influence from either organisation on any of our curriculums.

"They will essentially be our agents in the UK, marketing the college through their journals and other means."

Under the terms of the deal, the two organisations will use their influence in the UK's Pakistani and Indian healthcare communities to recruit potential students for the college's dental and medical courses. In return, Prabhu said cryptically, students would receive "some kind of reward".

The move has sparked interest, because it suggests the RAK college is confident its curriculum can compete with dental degrees in the UK, despite the institute offering no tertiary courses.

The college already has strong ties with the Pakistani healthcare community, being partially funded by the Riphah International University (RIU) in Islamabad. RIU markets the facility directly through its website to potential undergraduates, Prabhu said.

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