University of Bahrain Introduces Diploma Course on Blockchain Technology

By Rishma Banerjee

Blockchain Technology over the years has gained a lot of popularity with more institutional investors turning to it. While a lot of countries are also accepting cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, and many are legalizing it, we also have seen a lot of higher education institutions offering courses on the subject. The newest entrant to join this bandwagon is the University of Bahrain.

As per reports published by English-language local media Trade Arabia on January 13,  the University of Bahrain will now be offering diploma courses on blockchain technology. The article also reveals that the University employs the Blockcerts open standard in collaboration with Learning Machine which is a startup providing a system to issue verifiable official records using a blockchain-anchored format.

The government of Bahrain has for a long time emphasized on the importance of blockchain technology for the development of the country’s economy. They have also stressed on the issue of cybersecurity vigilance.

Abdulhussain Mirza, Bahrain’s minister of electricity and water affairs, said:

“Blockchain’s ability to protect user’s data is a true mark of progress, especially due to the fact that it can be applied in different companies from different industries including cybersecurity.”

Trade India also reports that this initiative taken by the university is a part and parcel of an overall digitization strategy for mobile learners.

The Blockcerts development team explained:

“Blockcerts provides a decentralized credentialing system. The Bitcoin blockchain acts as the provider of trust, and credentials are tamper-resistant and verifiable. Blockcerts can be used in the context of academic, professional, and workforce credentialing.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has also issued blockchain-based digital certificates to more than 100 graduates as part of a pilot program as of mid-October 2017. Universities like Cornell, Berkley, and UPenn, provide courses on Cryptography, ‘Blockchain, Cryptocurrency & Distributed Ledger Technology’ and ‘Blockchain and CryptoEconomics’. South Korean University even offers Masters courses in cryptocurrency. Similar courses are also being offered by Tel Aviv University as well as the French University of Armenia.