وزير التعليم العالي السوري لـ «عكاظ»: السعودية تتصدّر قائمة الدول الداعمة

In a country where the construction process starts from scratch, like Syria, there is a need for high-caliber individuals to build human capacity and the pillars of science and knowledge. Indeed, knowledge in this era is a gateway to the development of post-war countries, as higher education is one of the most prominent foundations for the emergence of a state, given the influence and role of this young generation in establishing a more secure future.

The Syrian Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Marwan Al-Halabi, is one of those who work around the clock to draw the new map for the Ministry of Higher Education. Nevertheless, the minister found time for a dialogue with the newspaper "Okaz" to share his strategy for the ministry's work and coordination with Saudi Arabia in the field of education and the exchange of experiences, confirming that Saudi Arabia is the foremost supporter of the education file in Syria.. to the dialogue:

Decaying Infrastructure

• Which countries are leading in cooperation in the field of higher education?

•• The truth is we have noticed interest from many of our brothers, but Saudi Arabia is number one in cooperation and is one of the biggest supporters of higher education. We look forward to more cooperation and expanding its scope in all fields and specialties.

• What are the challenges in the Ministry of Higher Education?

•• There are indeed many, but the most prominent are the decaying infrastructure for education and scientific research, as well as the technical infrastructure, brain drain, and war, alongside the partial academic isolation that existed, in addition to the issue of academic freedom. Political, party, and security interventions in education have stifled academic freedom and negatively impacted scientific research, all of which have adversely affected the educational process.

• Do you mean that there are interventions from the new administration?

•• Not at all; there is significant support from President Ahmad Al-Shara, who strongly encourages scientific research and education, considering it one of the state's priorities. He is one of the biggest supporters of the first council that emerged for education, viewing it as building human capacity and investing in human intellect.

Three Parallel Tracks

• Can you summarize your vision for advancing the higher education sector?

•• Change for us is not just a slogan, but a work program with clear measurement indicators. We started with three parallel tracks: transparent governance, comprehensive digital transformation, and raising the quality of education and research.

- Governance and Integrity: We have restructured the decision-making system based on data, enhancing oversight of academic and financial performance, opening channels for complaints and follow-up, and linking funding to measurable results. There are no immunities before the law, and no promotions without competence.

- Digital Transformation: We are unifying the academic record, university identity, and services (admissions, registration, exams, electronic payment, archiving) on a single national platform to reduce time and cost and combat waste.

- Quality and Accreditation: We are updating frameworks and standards, reviewing programs periodically with the involvement of the labor market, and launching short applied and technical paths with recognized professional certificates.

- Research and Innovation: We are moving research from the shelves of offices to production lines through competitive funding, incubators, encouraging patents, and technology transfer, linking universities with hospitals and the private sector.

- Human Capital and Students: A national program to qualify faculty members and recover competencies from the diaspora, along with smart support packages for students (grants, facilitated loans, mental health, and university housing).

- International Openness: Restoring accreditation and mutual recognition, joint programs, and dual degrees.

• There is talk about the weakness in current competencies in the ministry?

•• Let me be frank: Yes, we have competency gaps created by years of war, migration, and the erosion of incentives. However, we have moved from describing the problem to managing the solution through a three-pronged approach: diagnosis, attraction, and qualification with accountability.

- Transparent Diagnosis: We launched a "Capabilities Map" at the ministry and universities: a digital inventory of skills, and a unified human resources system that accurately shows the gaps, along with an annual public report on the distribution of competencies and their needs.

- Attraction Based on Merit: Monitored digital competitions, unified employment keys, and independent committees to prevent conflict and favoritism. We opened a "side entry path" for expertise from industry and the health sector, and a program for the return of competencies from abroad with flexible contracts and visiting chairs.

- Qualification and Promotion by Achievement: The "Academy of Higher Education Leaders" to build management and governance skills, and dual promotion paths (education/research) linked to performance indicators by seniority. Those who do not improve their performance are subject to a clear corrective plan over time.

- Incentives and Retaining Competencies: Competitive funding, reducing administrative burdens through digitization, foundational research grants, and support tools (housing, childcare, mental health) where possible, with rewards linked to measurable results.

- Institutional Replacement and Succession: A fellowship program for young researchers, organized mentoring, empowering female leadership, and a clear succession plan to ensure job readiness.

- Accountability and Integrity: Annual performance contracts and periodic external reviews. No one is immune: merit is above favoritism.

• What is the level of coordination with Saudi universities?

•• We consider our relationships with Saudi universities a natural partnership between two Arab pillars for education and research, and we are working to transform this partnership into measurable programs across five axes:

1. Recognition and Equivalencies: Forming joint technical teams to update equivalencies of degrees and curricula, and linking digital verification systems for certificates, ensuring a smooth transition for students and researchers between the two countries.

2. Joint Programs and Dual Degrees: Prioritizing specialties with rapid impact (medicine and health, renewable energy, water and environment, artificial intelligence and technologies), with twinning of departments and laboratories between selected universities.

3. Research and Innovation: Competitive funding for joint projects, windows for turning research into products (incubators, technology transfer, patents), and focusing on common regional challenges such as water security, digital health, and sustainability.

4. Movement of Academics and Students: Short scientific visits, research leave for faculty members, and supported student exchange seats, with mutual recognition of accreditation and quality through national bodies in both countries.

5. Technical Education and Digital Transformation: Aligning professional standards and practical training programs, recognizing partial accreditations (micro-credentials), and integrating e-learning platforms.

• What is your plan for scientific research?

•• Scientific research is the value driver that transforms knowledge into useful solutions, and when managed through a Syrian-Saudi partnership, it becomes a multiplier of impact: knowledge produced in the Arab world, technologies developed locally, and markets that quickly adopt the outputs. We view the research partnership between the two universities as three integrated paths:

1. Generating Applicable Knowledge

- Joint research teams in urgent priorities: digital health and medical artificial intelligence, water and food security, renewable energy and hydrogen, digital education and educational technologies.

- Aligned laboratories and unified protocols for ethics (e-IRB) and reusable open data standards (FAIR).

2. Turning Research into Technology and Job Opportunities

- Competitive grants for "Challenges" with mutual funding, clear paths for technology transfer (IP), joint incubators and accelerators, and early industrial adoption (Industry-in-the-loop).

- Measuring impact with indicators, not just publication: invested patents, spin-off companies, solutions adopted in hospitals, municipalities, and the private sector.

3. Building Shared Human Capital

- Doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships with joint supervision, research leave for professors, and micro-credential programs in deep skills (AI/ML, bioinformatics, water desalination, energy efficiency).

Building an Arab Knowledge Block

• What is your assessment of Saudi-Syrian cooperation in the field of scientific research?

•• We see Syrian-Saudi cooperation as an opportunity to build an Arab knowledge block capable of producing science and localizing technology. Our program is based on four practical paths, clear timelines, and announced measurement indicators:

Recognition and Quality (Organizational Foundation)

- Updating degree equivalencies and linking digital verification systems.

- Aligning accreditation standards and programs, and exchanging academic reviewers to ensure quality.

Joint Education and Talent Mobility

- Dual degrees and twinning of departments in priority specialties (medicine and health, water and environment, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, technical education).

- Platforms for exchanging faculty and students, doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships with joint supervision, and recognition of partial accreditations (micro-credentials).

Research, Innovation, and Technology Transfer

- A bilateral funding fund under a "Challenges" system to solve common problems (digital health, water and food security, green hydrogen, smart cities).

- Joint incubators and accelerators, clear policies for intellectual property and joint licensing, and innovative purchasing programs to adopt solutions in hospitals, municipalities, and industry.

Technical Education and Digital Transformation

- Aligning professional outputs and practical training programs, linking educational platforms digitally, and building virtual laboratories and research data repositories according to FAIR principles.

• What are the paths for exchanging experiences with Saudi universities?

•• Exchange is not academic tourism, but a targeted investment in human capital whose impact is measured on the student, the university, and the labor market. We are working on a phased program based on six practical axes:

Diverse Exchange Paths

- Undergraduate and graduate students: a semester/academic year with prior recognition of credits, intensive summer schools, and short clinical/technical training.

- Faculty and researchers: short teaching visits (2–6 weeks), research leave (3–12 months), joint supervision of theses (cotutelle), and joint online lectures (co-teaching).

- Integrated virtual exchange: joint courses and digital laboratory platforms to ensure inclusivity and reduce costs.

Prior Academic Recognition

- Alignment tables for courses before travel, individual learning contracts, and the principle of "credits count as they were earned" to protect the student from loss.

- A rapid mechanism for recognizing partial accreditations (micro-credentials) and professional certificates.

Transparent and Fair Selection Criteria

- Merit (academic achievement, motivation, clear study/research project) with support paths for low-income individuals and those with disabilities.

- Balanced distribution among specialties and regions, and fair representation between genders.

Funding and Logistical Support

- Bilateral grants covering tuition, housing, health insurance, and travel tickets, with support offices for visas, equivalencies, and university housing.

- Language and academic preparation before travel (Arabic/English boot camps) and psychological and social support during the stay.

Governance and Compliance

- A Syrian-Saudi steering committee, a unified electronic portal for academic mobility, a code of conduct, and shared research ethics (IRB) and data protection frameworks.

- Quarterly impact reports and corrective paths as needed.

Moving on Three Interconnected Axes

• What is the plan for cooperation with Saudi universities and the mechanisms of this cooperation?

•• We view the experience of Saudi universities as a practical lever to accelerate reform after liberation. Our plan moves on three interconnected axes: quality and accreditation, building academic capacities, and data governance and its regulations, with each axis linked to clear measurement indicators.

First: Quality and Accreditation (From Paper to Impact)

- Aligning frameworks: aligning the national qualifications framework and accreditation standards between the two countries, updating learning outcomes matrices (PLO/CLO) and linking them to actual evaluation.

- Joint peer review: joint external committees for priority programs, mutual accreditation visits, and twinning of quality units in corresponding colleges.

- Electronic accreditation portal: automating the accreditation cycle (submitting the file, evidence, performance indicators, tracking improvement) to reduce time and duplication.

- Measuring impact: accreditation is not a certificate on the wall, but an improvement in student performance, employment of graduates, research output, and teaching.

Second: Building Academic Capacities (From Seniority to Merit)

- Quality and Excellence Academy: accredited training according to the best Gulf practices for college leaders, program coordinators, and internal quality reviewers.

- Developing curricula: samples of joint courses (blueprints) in medicine, health, engineering, and technologies, including assessment policies and course files.

- Evidence-based teaching: generalizing active teaching, problem-based/team-based learning, and clinical/industrial simulations, with support for periodic teaching evaluations (Peer Review of Teaching).

Third: Data Governance and Regulations (Evidence-Based Decision Making)

- Unified national academic record: defining a master data dictionary and MDM system to link admissions, registration, exams, and graduation.

- Knowledge repositories: a national repository for theses and dissertations, a research data repository according to FAIR principles, and linking researcher identifiers (ORCID) and research identifiers (DOI).

- Public indicators dashboard: indicators for programs and colleges (success rates, achievement of outcomes, student and employer satisfaction, student service time), published regularly and used in performance-based funding decisions.