Determining the Optimal Method of Allocating Credits and Granting Facilities in the Student Welfare Fund of Ministry of Health and Medical Education using Fuzzy AHP

Introduction: Student support systems try to provide access to higher education for students from all socio-economic backgrounds, which is itself one of the main pillars of sustainable development. This study aims to identify the types of material and spiritual support of students in the world and to study the support institutions of students in the country while devising practical indicators for granting facilities to students and prioritizing these types of indicators using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) method to choose a model to provide this type of support as efficiently and effectively as possible and be able to establish justice in this type of support.
Research Method: The present study is descriptive-analytical in terms of purpose, practical in terms of results, library and survey research in terms of data collection method with a cross-sectional time horizon that includes qualitative and quantitative phases. First, by studying 18 developed countries due to access to information on official websites and relevant valid articles and booklets, as well as studying student support organizations in the country, basic information and complete knowledge of the issues of different groups of students and methods of addressing or meeting these needs were acquired. Then, in a working group discussion consisting of student facilities experts of the Student Welfare Fund, the extracted indicators were divided into two categories with the pillars of need (with 10 sub-criteria) and competence (with 7 sub-criteria) each in two subgroups according to the nature of each indicator. Then, using fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making techniques, a decision-making hierarchy was created. The criteria in pairs in the form of a pairwise-comparison-survey were asked from 10 expert decision-makers in the fund. Finally, each criterion was weighted itself.
Findings: The results showed that in the countries studied, various criteria are considered according to the support policies of countries in granting the desired student facilities, but in a general and comprehensive view, these criteria can be categorized into two groups of need and competence. In Iran, according to the criteria devised in the Student Welfare Fund, the indicators of need are preferable in general comparisons with the indicators of competence, and in the sub-criteria of need in the order of special events that are subjected to the students. The student’s health condition, the presence of dependents of students, were three indicators of importance.
Conclusion: Given the living condition of students and the importance of this segment of society in the sustainable development of the country, traditional methods of credit allocation based on the previous years do not have the necessary effectiveness and efficiency to provide scientific growth and increase in the level of student welfare that results in the scientific growth and development of the country. Therefore, the fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method and the use of the indicators of need and competence devised in the research provides great coordination and flexibility in student-oriented credit allocation in terms of management and leads to improved justice in granting facilities.