Discussions on the Latest Accomplishments of the Quality Assurance Project at University Technical Institutes
In a meeting held at Damascus University, the team responsible for quality assurance at the various technical institutes within Syria's universities, established in cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education and the Mobility in Europe for University Studies Program (TEMPUS), discussed its most recent activities and accomplishments. The team also discussed the progress that has been made in creating a reference guide for the quality assurance system at Syria's technical institutes.
This project seeks to develop and improve technical education is Syria by creating a reference guide for the quality assurance system at technical institutes, as well as by assisting the institute administrations in analyzing the various functioning mechanisms within the technical institutes, and identifying their strong and weak points. There are currently five such institutes from Damascus, Aleppo, and Tishreen Universities participating in the project, and the team plans to expand participation in the second phase of the project, so that all of Syria's technical institutes will eventually be included.
Doctor Tarek alKhair, Vice President of Damascus University for Administrative and Student Affairs, noted the importance of technical institutes and their role in supporting various university faculties, by enabling graduates to contribute to national growth, and meet the needs of the labor market.
During this meeting, Doctor Mohamad Kayyal, the Director of the Quality Assurance Office at Damascus University, reviewed the successes of the initial stage of the project. This phase included a workshop, as well as fact finding visits to several European countries in order to learn about the quality assurance systems in use in similar institutions within these countries. Furthermore, the team prepared a rough framework for quality assurance during two workshops held at Homs and Hama Universities. Doctor Kayyal also noted that the quality assurance team had prepared an internal evaluation for the five institutes participating in the initial phase.
The next phase of the project will include an external evaluation of these institutes, to be conducted in conjunction with a self assessment focusing on content, manner of execution, and accuracy and credibility. In this way, the team will ultimately produce a comprehensive reference guide for quality assurance.
'Asim Qadah, the Director of Institutes within Damascus University, emphasized the importance of developing Syria's technical institutes in a manner which upholds quality standards and supports academic research. He added that the institutes need to conduct new training courses for their instructors, and develop and expand the academic content of the current curricula, so as to meet the demands of the labor market.
TEMPUS is one of the programs of the European Group, focusing on the development of higher education systems in participating countries, through cooperation between the various institutions and foundations of the countries comprising this Group. In Syria, the National Office of the TEMPUS Program coordinates the Program's projects. This office, established in January 2004, is headquartered in the Ministry of Higher Education. Its principal activities and functions include aiding students and researchers who are applying for scholarships and grants, assisting in the evaluation process for TEMPUS projects, supporting those projects which are in the implementation phase, and promoting the program to interested parties. Furthermore, the office is in charge of promoting cooperation between Syria, the countries of the Mediterranean, and the European Union. It also coordinates between the Ministry of Higher Education and the European Union delegation in Syria.
