SDG5: GENDER EQUALITY

Qassim University's Pursuit of SDG 5: Promoting Gender Equality and Addressing Gender Discrimination

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. In Saudi Arabia, addressing gender discrimination and promoting gender equality is a vital step toward creating a more inclusive and equitable society. Qassim University recognizes the importance of SDG 5 and has undertaken significant efforts to promote gender equality within its campus community and beyond.

Empowering Women through Education:

Qassim University's commitment to SDG 5 is evident through its dedication to empowering women through education. The university offers a range of educational opportunities across various disciplines, enabling women to access quality education and pursue their academic and professional aspirations.

Equal Access to Resources:

The university ensures that both male and female students have equal access to educational resources, facilities, and opportunities. Qassim University actively works to eliminate any gender-based barriers that may hinder female students from fully participating in academic and extracurricular activities.

Creating a Supportive Environment:

Qassim University is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages women to excel academically and professionally. The university promotes an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and cooperation, where gender discrimination and stereotypes are challenged.

Empowering Female Faculty and Staff:

The university's commitment to gender equality extends to its female faculty and staff members. Qassim University provides opportunities for professional development, leadership training, and mentorship to empower women in academic and administrative roles, promoting their career advancement and contributions to the institution.
Gender-Sensitive Curriculum and Research: 
Qassim University integrates a gender-sensitive approach into its curriculum and research initiatives. The university encourages the exploration of gender-related issues and their impact on various fields of study. By incorporating gender perspectives, the university fosters a deeper understanding of societal dynamics and challenges.

Raising Awareness through Workshops and Seminars:

The university organizes workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns that address gender equality, discrimination, and related topics. These events promote open dialogue, critical thinking, and informed discussions among students, faculty, and the broader community.

Support for Gender-Based Research:

Qassim University supports research projects that focus on gender-related topics, including social norms, gender roles, and discrimination. By encouraging research on these subjects, the university contributes to a greater understanding of gender dynamics and societal change.

Collaboration with Gender Organizations:

The university collaborates with gender-focused organizations and advocacy groups to collectively address gender equality challenges. These partnerships facilitate knowledge exchange, best practices sharing, and joint initiatives that contribute to creating a more gender-inclusive environment.
Qassim University's commitment to SDG 5 is evident through its multifaceted efforts to promote gender equality and address gender discrimination. By empowering women through education, creating an inclusive environment, supporting female faculty and staff, integrating gender-sensitive perspectives, raising awareness, and collaborating with relevant organizations, the university plays a vital role in advancing gender equality in Saudi Arabia. Through its dedication, Qassim University contributes to creating a more just and equitable society where women and men can thrive and contribute equally to societal development.

A Brief about Qassim University

https://qa.qu.edu.sa/files/shares/handbooks/Student%20Manual.pdf [1]

It is also clear that the number of Saudi students enrolled which are 65912 students, represent 98.1% of the total enrollment, while the number of non-Saudi enrolled are 1257 students, which represents 1.9% of the total enrollment. It is also clear from the data that the number of students enrolled in the bachelor stage is the largest number, which represented 94.1%, while graduate students enrolled in the master’s stage accounted for 2.4% and enrolled in the doctoral level accounted for 0.6% of the total enrolled students in Qassim University. 
The number of new students at the university reached 19051 students in 37/38 AH and 15722 students in 38/39 AH. 
The total number of graduates in the different stages of study at Qassim University is 10050 graduates, including 3480 males or 34.6% and 6570 females or 65.3%. 
The number of graduates in graduate studies reached 226 graduates, 60.6% of whom were females and 39.4% were males. 
This is in addition to 121 graduates in the intermediate diploma level. The largest number of graduates was in the bachelor stage, where they represented 96.5% of the total number of graduates in the academic year 1438/1439.

University Student (male/female) Rights

https://qa.qu.edu.sa/files/shares/handbooks/Student%20Manual.pdf [1]

A- In the academic field

• 1- Receiving a student guide that provides information about the University, and its systems and facilities;
• 2- A Party reception for newcomers;
• 3- The education received by students will be evaluated and their observations will be used to improve the quality of teaching at the University. The students will evaluate the courses that they have studied and the faculty members who have taught them (the evaluation questionnaire is showed in the appendices) provided that the student deals with this credibly and is free from personal, partisan and tribal influences.
• 4- Providing the appropriate study environment so students can study and learn easily by providing all the educational capabilities available to serve this goal.
• 5- Obtaining the scientific material and knowledge associated with the university courses taught in accordance with the university rules and regulations governing academic work.
• 6- Obtaining the study plans in the faculty or department and the specializations, as well as reviewing the study schedules before the start of the study, conducting his/ her registration in the courses offered to the student by the system, providing the rules of registration, taking into account the prioritization of registration in accordance with fair controls when it is not possible to achieve the wishes of all students.
• 7- Dropping or adding any course, dropping the entire semester as provided by the system of study and registering to the university within the specified period and announced to students.
• 8- Faculty members of the university will be committed to the dates, times of lectures to meeting the scientific and practical hours and they should not cancel the lectures or change their times unless necessary. In case of a cancellation of any lecture for whatever reason, an alternative lecture on those canceled or absent by the faculty member to complete the course would be given, after coordination with the students and the department.
• 9- Appropriate scientific inquiry and discussion with faculty members without censorship or punishment, whether during the lecture or during the announced office hours to meet the students.
• 10- The test questions should be within the course and its contents and the issues raised or referred to during the lectures. The distribution of grades would be balanced and logical in order to achieve a fair assessment of the student’s abilities.
• 11- Conducting all the tests that are held for the course unless there is a legal obstacle that prevents them from being conducted in accordance with the relevant regulations and instructions.
• 12- The student will be provided the key answer to the questions of the quarterly tests and the distribution of scores on the parts of the answer, which is based on the assessment of student performance before the final test of the course.
• 13- The student has the right to review his answer sheet in the tests according to the regulations and decisions issued by the university in regulating the mechanism of that review and its controls.
• 14- Facilitate obtaining all his rights within the university by the administrative or academic bodies in accordance with the regulations and rules of the university.
• 15- The student will be provided the results obtained in the monthly, quarterly and final tests performed after emptiness corrected and adopted.
• 16- The commitment of faculty members, staff and employees of the university employees to respect the student and give him all his academic and literary rights.
• 17- Adopting the electronic system in monitoring grades and limiting absence to be monitored regularly and not be delayed more than a week.
• 18- Notifying the student of the total grades of his work quarterly and practical before entering the final exam.

B- In the non-academic field

• 1- Enjoy the benefits and social welfare provided by the University and participate in the activities established there in accordance with the regulations and university rules governing it.
• 2- 2- Access to adequate health care through treatment within hospitals and health centers affiliated to the university.
• 3- Utilize the services and facilities of the university (e-book libraries, gym hall, the cafeteria,…,etc.) according to the rules and regulations of the university.
• 4- Obtaining the financial incentives and rewards prescribed by law, especially for the superior student.
• 5- Nomination for training courses and programs and internal and external trips and increase his participation in cultural activities as well as participation in community service activities and volunteer work.
• 6- The complaint or grievance of any matter that affects the student in relation to faculty member, department, college or any of the University units, and the submission of the complaint or grievance in accordance with the rules governing the unit for the protection of Student Rights, and enable the student to know the status of his complaint.
• 7- Enable him to defend himself before any party in the university in any disciplinary case filed against him. The student will not be sentenced until after hearing his statements, unless it proves that his absence was an unacceptable excuse after being summoned for the second time.
• 8- Grievance against the disciplinary decision issued against him in accordance with the rules established in this regard under the provisions of disciplining students.
• 9- Maintain the contents of his file inside the university, dealing with it with care, not handing it over to anyone except to the student or his guardian or whoever delegates that file by the investigating authorities or the judiciary or another government agency. The contents of his file may not be disclosed or published unless such publication is the result of a disciplinary punishment against the student.
• 10- The right of the student with special needs to receive appropriate and appropriate service according to the rules and regulations in force

University values

https://qa.qu.edu.sa/files/shares/handbooks/Student%20Manual.pdf [1]

Adopting the Islamic values, Qassim University believes in:

• 1. Justice: We seek to achieve the elements of justice, equal opportunities and fairness in dealing with the others.
• 2. Integrity: We work honestly, and are committed to professional ethics
• 3. Transparency: We are committed to transactions disclosure, and support accountabil-ity and integrity requirements
• 4. Quality: we adopt the highest quality standards to maintain the best outcomes and services
• 5. Creativity: The University creates a motivational organizational environment that stimulates creative thinking and innovative behavior
• 6. Teamwork: The University fosters the culture of teamwork in thinking and behavior
• 7. Academic Freedom: The University encourages scientific exploration practices, open-ness and interactions

Reception of New Students for All

https://qa.qu.edu.sa/files/shares/handbooks/Student%20Manual.pdf [1]

The Department of Guidance and Counseling at the Deanship of Student Affairs recognizes the importance of the quality of the definition of newly admitted students to the University). The new program for receiving new students since their admission to the university will be arranged and arranged for the new students since their admission to the University, the student will be given an invitation to attend the reception and the venue with notice of admission to the University in addition to some important and necessary instructions that the student needs to understand before starting their studies. The pro-gram aims to prepare the student for a new university life, introducing the support systems for the students at the university, as well as introducing the students to the faculties they attended and what they offer them. The university’s essential facilities, such as the library, restaurants, gyms, photographic centers, bookstores, laboratories, etc.
The reception was organized over two days. The reception program started on the first day of each semester and was graciously sponsored by the University Rector.

b. Religious and Social Awareness Program

The Department is careful to select the materials of the awareness programs accurately, and in the public interest, which helps guide and guide students and educate them, and immunize them culturally, religiously and socially.

c. Exhibitions

The administration aims to hold some exhibitions to make students aware of the negative effects that hinder their academic career and future and opens the way for the positive things that help him build a bright future for him.

d. Student Services

1. Such as offering reductions on the fees of transportation by plane, mass transportation, train, issuing identification cards and following up medical reports.

89 Male and Female Trainees receive a Training course entitled "Towards an effective community partnership for the university"

https://www.qu.edu.sa/content/news/276 [2]

Implemented by the Deanship of Community Service
89 trainees receive a training course entitled "Towards an effective community partnership for the university"
Media Center: 
In pursuit of the Deanship of Community Service to achieve methodological and intellectual integration to serve the community, the Deanship of Community Service, represented by the Community Service Unit, held a training course entitled "Towards an Effective Community Partnership for the University", which was presented by the international expert Dr. Jamal Nasser Al-Shatti, Director of the KAMEZ Training Institute in the State of Kuwait. The opening of the course was attended by His Excellency the Vice President for Educational Affairs, Prof. Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Tami, where he welcomed the attendees and Dr. Jamal Al-Shatti, after which His Excellency Prof. Dr. Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al-Turki gave his opening speech and gave a visual presentation on community service and the work of the Deanship in coordination with the colleges interacting with the Deanship towards the community. The course received a great turnout from the attendees, as their number of men and women reached 89 trainees from Qassim University in all its branches and external parties.

The University Celebrates its Employees on International Women's Day with Several Events

https://qu.edu.sa/content/news/2514 [3]

Within the framework of its activation of International Women's Day, the university celebrated its female staff, to express the appreciation of the university in all its components for the great role played by women within the university as partners in development and development alongside men, as the university includes among its sides more than 200 leaders who manage faculties, deanships, departments and departments of the university, 1577 faculty members, 1194 administrative staff, as well as 10 members of the university council, in addition to more than 40 thousand students in various stages of study (bachelor - diploma - Master - PhD).
On this occasion, the university, represented by the Vision 2030 Realization Club, at the Deanship of Student Affairs, held on Monday evening, an educational meeting entitled "Saudi Women's Leadership", presented "remotely" by Dr. Ashwaq bint Saleh Al-Shuraida, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation, and student Hajar bint Salim Al-Harbi, member of the Vision 2030 Realization Club, and the meeting was moderated by student Shahd Abdul Rahman Al-Mazyad. 
The meeting discussed the role of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 in empowering women, the stage of women's empowerment in light of the historical gains they obtained during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, women's leadership platforms and power and access programs, in addition to the role of women in entrepreneurship and women's entrepreneurship in the past and now. 
For her part, Dr. Ashwaq Al-Sherida spoke about the role of women in building society, and that women are the basis of the formation and development of society, and the most important pillars of the family and its construction, stressing that women are half of society but the whole society, and in the labor market, politics, medicine and finally volunteer work, in addition to the role of women in the family and education and their importance in the home and the containment of children. The student Hajar Al-Harbi also stressed the role of university students in volunteer work and activities inside and outside the university, and the distinctive and positive impact this has on the university community and the outside community, adding that women have a great role in achieving the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which is based on three main pillars, including: "A vibrant society - a thriving economy - an ambitious homeland," stressing that women's community participation is a key part in the development of a vibrant society. 
In turn, the Community Service Unit at the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at the University, represented by the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (Female Section), held on Monday a remote awareness event within the framework of the activation of International Women's Day entitled "Your Health and Beauty in Your Food" with the participation of a number of specialists.

University Studies Center for Girls

https://csfs.qu.edu.sa/content/p/2 [4]

Dean's Message
In the name of God the most Merciful, the most Compassionate
And with it we seek help
Praise be to Allah who taught with the pen and taught man what he did not know, and peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of the messengers of our Prophet Muhammad and on his family and companions. 
Qassim University seeks to provide advanced and accredited university education to prepare integrated competencies that meet the needs of the labor market and provide community services and distinguished applied research, in a way that elevates the local community and contributes to building a knowledge economy, using the latest administrative, technical and information methods, activating national and international partnership and developing the university's resources. The Center for University Studies for Female Students seeks to contribute to an active role in achieving the vision, mission and objectives of the university, and the center is supervised by His Excellency the Vice President for Educational Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tami. The female sections enjoy the generous support of the university leadership, represented by His Excellency the President of the University and its vice presidents, to provide an educational environment that stimulates learning and creativity. 
The center includes seven colleges in addition to the Deanship of Educational Services. These colleges are the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Applied Medical Sciences, the College of Nursing, the College of Computer and the College of Business. It also includes the Vice Deanship of Admission and Registration for Female Sections and the Vice Deanship of Student Affairs for Female Student Activities. The center coordinates between these colleges and those deanships. 
This website was established to be a bridge of communication and contribute to the employment of technology to provide the desired communication between the Deanship of the Center and faculty members, employees and those interested in following the news of the Center and we seek to provide services through it to students and affiliates. We welcome you to this site, looking forward to your suggestions and observations in order to achieve the vision and mission of Qassim University, and I ask God to achieve this site its goal and to guide us to what he loves and pleases him and to help us serve religion and then the country.

Female Distinction Congratulation

https://twitter.com/ahmaldawood/status/1663892197857456128 [5]

I congratulate our female students for this distinction, praying to God for them and for all #جامعه_القصيم students to succeed in their scientific and practical career.

University President: Saudi women have an important role in the renaissance of the Kingdom. And the decision to drive women in addition to their rights

https://www.qu.edu.sa/content/news/591 [6]

His Excellency Prof. Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al-Dawood, Director of Qassim University, valued the decision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz - may God protect him - yesterday, Tuesday, to apply the provisions of the traffic system and its executive regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for males and females alike, taking into account the legal controls stipulated by our true Islamic religion, as the decree specified several conditions that must be met to allow women in the Kingdom to drive. Al-Daoud stressed that the decision came to remove many of the obstacles that women were facing, and their suffering in providing the appropriate means of transportation, especially in light of the expansion of women's employment in many government and private jobs. 
His Excellency explained that the role of Saudi women is increasing day by day in participating in the Kingdom's renaissance and development in all social, economic and scientific fields, as the number of girls enrolled in various universities in the past few years has increased significantly, and competed with men in several scientific and practical fields, and even surpassed them, which confirms the need to provide them with the full opportunity for more participation in building the future of our dear country. 
He pointed out that the decision to grant women the right to drive a car will reflect positively on society economically and socially, and that the supreme decision and the expected positives of allowing them to do so in accordance with the application of the necessary Sharia controls and adherence to them, as it is no secret to one of the negatives seen in the large number of private drivers in the Kingdom, and the suffering of women in their movements between home, work and access to hospitals and universities. 
He added that the culture of society at the current stage and the awareness and awareness reached by its members of women's rights thanks to the high level of education, and openness to other Islamic societies granted this decision social acceptance, ensuring with the grace of God that there are no problems in the application, especially with the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz - may God support him - to form a higher committee from the Ministries of Interior, Finance, Labor and Social Development, to study and develop the necessary arrangements for the implementation of the decision in accordance with the approved Sharia and regulatory controls. 
Dr. Al-Dawood concluded his statement by asking God to repay and reconcile the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in order to achieve the interest of the country and society in light of the approach of this blessed state based on the provisions of the tolerant Islamic Sharia.

References

[1] [Online]. Available: .https://qa.qu.edu.sa/files/shares/handbooks/Student%20Manual.pdf

[2] [Online]. Available: .https://www.qu.edu.sa/content/news/276

[3] [Online]. Available: .https://qu.edu.sa/content/news/2514

[4] [Online]. Available: .https://csfs.qu.edu.sa/content/p/2

[5] [Online]. Available: .https://twitter.com/ahmaldawood/status/1663892197857456128

[6] [Online]. Available: .https://www.qu.edu.sa/content/news/591