Higher Education in Syria
The Syrian Government plays a major role in the supervision and control of the higher education System. This is achieved through the Ministry of Higher Education and the Higher Education Council that is based at the Ministry of Higher Education. In terms of paper work, the system is highly centralized with no efficient role mentioned at the departmental levels. All academic staff appointments and promotions are issued by ministerial decrees. All curricula developments have to be approved by the Higher Education Council. A government committee called the “University Admission Committee”, which is headed by the Prime Minister, and in consultation with universities and the Ministry of Higher Education, determines the number of students to be admitted to the higher education system each year and their distribution. The Government also plays a regulatory role for the new established private universities. Licenses for these universities are issued depending on certain guidelines and rules set by the Higher Education Council. The most influential legislative reforms for higher education in Syria since 2000 is the Presidential Degree number 36 for the year 2001, which governs the work of private universities in Syria. The other legal framework that governs and regulates higher education in Syria is Law number 6 for the year 2006, which governs the work of public universities in Syria, which is called “The University Regulation Law”. This Law is an amendment of the previous Law. The new law gives more autonomy to universities, with regard particularly to staff appointments and promotions. The entry level for all undergraduate programmes in Syrian tertiary education is the Secondary Education Certificate (Bakaloria).
In Syria, there are several types of tertiary education programmes and qualifications:
- Intermediate study (Mahad Mutawast): students spend 2 years in most academic fields. The best five ranked graduates will be eligible to continue their study for bachelor degree in some fields.
- Bachelor degree (Ejaza Jameia): students need to spend 4 years in most academic fields, 5 years for engineering, 6 years for medicine.
- Master degree (Majesteer): students who achieved good marks in Bachelor will be entitled to register for a master degree for at least 2 years. The master can be academic master degree which entitled students after then to read for PhD, or professional master degree (Majesteer Mehani) which by law does not allow students to continue their PhD.
- PhD degree (Doctorate): students who achieved satisfactory mark in their Master degree will be entitled to register for at least 3 years PhD degree.
The above degrees are offered by the following types of tertiary education institutions:
- Universities: offer mainly bachelor, master, and PhD degrees in the fields of Arts, Humanities, Law, Islamic Law, Economics, Social Sciences and Fine Arts, Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, and Medicine. All modes of studies are full time studies.
- Higher Institutes: offer mainly bachelor and master degrees in the fields of Business, Biotechnology, Population Studies, Earth quick Studies.
- Intermediate Institutes: offer certificate of 2 years study relevant to most of the bachelor degrees offered by universities.
- Other institutes: offer mainly certificates of 2 years study, and bachelor degree.
For the academic year 2006/2007, at public universities, there were 343061 registered undergraduate students, 11582 master students, and 586 PhD students. For all private universities, the number of registered students did not exceed 15000 students. All these students are distributed in 6 public universities, 6 higher education institutes, and 15 private universities.
The Ministry of Higher Education in Syria is striving in the near future to set priorities, devise executive plans to implement them, and continue the process of modernization of the sector. To fulfill its goals, the Ministry of Higher Education is cooperating with national (public and private) and international partners. In line with the modernization and upgrading projects planned and carried out nationally with the various programmes of the European Union and UNDP, the Ministry has set the following as immediate reform priorities to address:
- The establishment of new institutions, faculties and programmes within the existing institutions.
- New admissions policy congruent with academic standards, potential students need, and national development needs.
- Developing existing curriculum and implementing dynamic flexible rules for their continuous revision in response to social and market needs.
- Continuing the process of the establishment of Quality Assurance and Accreditation System.
- Charting executive plans for the purpose of upgrading the skills of academic staff.
- Upgrading the enabling environment through the provision of the needed tools such as: labs, modern libraries, network connectivity, etc.
- Revamping academic research and graduate studies programmes.
- Upgrading of vocational and educational training institutes.
- Sector restructuring to enhance governance and introducing updated management information systems.
- Establishment of effective statistical matrix which is important for planning at the strategic and policy level.
However, one of the major shortcomings of Higher Education in Syria in general is the lack of relevance of programmes and curricula to development and to the labor market needs. Nevertheless, the Council of Higher Education in Syria is conscious that there is a need for major reform and diversification of the higher education programmes in Syria to meet development needs, and has asked the various universities in the country to reform and modernize their programmes. It has also eased the regulation governing curricula development and made them more decentralized and flexible. The most influential legislative reforms for higher education in Syria since 2000 was the Presidential Decree No. 36 for the year 2001, which governs the work of private universities in Syria. The other legal framework that governs and regulates higher education in Syria is Law No. 6 for the year 2006, which governs the work of public universities in Syria, which is called “The University Regulation Law”. This Law is an amendment of the previous Law. The new law gives more autonomy to universities, with regard particularly to staff appointments and promotions.
For more information please visit: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/participating_countries/syria_en.php
Or visit the Ministry of Higher Education Website: www.mhe.gov.sy/new/
