The Arab Open University (AOU) is a sustainable development and educational non-profit project. It aims at providing educational opportunities for high school degree holders of all segments of the society regardless of age, gender or religion in order to pursue their higher education. It strives to hone student’s skills thus reinforcing the labor market with qualified graduates, equipped with myriad capabilities and skills. The inception of AOU is a personal initiative by HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul-Aziz, the Chairman of the AOU Board of Trustees. In December 2000, Kuwait was chosen to be the Headquarters of AOU. AOU first phase was launched in October 2002 in three branches: Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan. Then, it launched its second phase in February 2003, with three more branches in Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In February 2008, it inaugurated the seventh branch in the Sultanate of Oman and its eight branch in Sudan was opened in September 2013. In May 2015, AOU signed an agreement of opening a new branch in Palestine with the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education. This spread of AOU reflects its national dimension of opening branches and regional centers all over the Arab world. It also translates its general strategy set by its Board of Trustees, which members are elite group of Arab experts in the field of higher education and senior officials from various regional and international organizations. AOU is proud to have introduced to the Arab world this unique system of blended education. This system is based on a combination of open learning, traditional education and self-learning. Moreover, it takes pride of its achievements and successes in serving students and strategies of development in the Arab world.
