Overview of the Higher Education System

Syria

February 2017Erasmus+

© European Union, 2017

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ISBN : 978-92-9492-400-1 doi : 10.2797/943911

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This document has been produced by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) on the basis of previous contributions from the Syrian Erasmus+ National Office and higher education experts.

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The higher education system in Syria

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Table of Contents

1 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Fundamental Principles and National Policies ...................................................................... 1 1.2 Lifelong Learning Strategy ..................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Organization of Private Education ......................................................................................... 2 1.4 National Qualifications Framework ........................................................................................ 2 1.5 Statistics on Organization and Governance .......................................................................... 2 1.6 Distribution of responsibilities ................................................................................................ 3

2 Higher Education Funding............................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Public Education .................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Financial Autonomy and Control .................................................................................. 4 2.1.2 Fees within Public Higher Education ............................................................................ 4 2.2 Private Education ................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.1 Financial Autonomy and Control .................................................................................. 5 2.2.2 Fees within Private Higher Education ........................................................................... 5 2.3 Financial Support for Learners' Families ............................................................................... 5 2.4 Financial Support for Learners .............................................................................................. 6

3 The structure of the Higher Education system .............................................................................. 6 3.1 Types of Higher Education Institutions .................................................................................. 7 3.2 First Cycle Programmes ........................................................................................................ 8 3.2.1 Branches of study ......................................................................................................... 8 3.2.2 Admission Requirements .............................................................................................. 8 3.2.3 Curriculum .................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.4 Teaching Methods ...................................................................................................... 10 3.2.5 Progression of Students ............................................................................................. 10 3.2.6 Employability ............................................................................................................... 11 3.2.7 Student Assessment ................................................................................................... 11 3.2.8 Certification ................................................................................................................. 11 3.3 Short-Cycle Higher Education ............................................................................................. 11 3.4 Second Cycle Programmes ................................................................................................. 12 3.4.1 Branches of Study ...................................................................................................... 12 3.4.2 Admission Requirements ............................................................................................ 12 3.4.3 Curriculum .................................................................................................................. 12 3.4.4 Teaching Methods ...................................................................................................... 13 3.4.5 Progression of Students ............................................................................................. 13 3.4.6 Employability ............................................................................................................... 13 3.4.7 Student Assessment ................................................................................................... 13 3.4.8 Certification ................................................................................................................. 13 3.5 Programmes outside the Bachelor and Master Structure ................................................... 13 3.6 Third Cycle (PhD) Programmes .......................................................................................... 14 3.6.1 Organization of Doctoral Studies ................................................................................ 14

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3.6.2 Admission Requirements ............................................................................................ 14 3.6.3 Status of Doctoral Students/Candidates..................................................................... 14 3.6.4 Supervision Arrangements ......................................................................................... 14 3.6.5 Employability ............................................................................................................... 15 3.6.6 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 15 3.6.7 Certification ................................................................................................................. 15 3.6.8 Organizational Variation ............................................................................................. 15

4 Teachers and Education Staff in Higher Education .................................................................... 15 4.1 Initial Education for Academic Staff in Higher Education .................................................... 15 4.2 Conditions of Service for Academic Staff Working in Higher Education ............................. 16 4.2.1 Planning Policy ........................................................................................................... 16 4.2.2 Entry to the Profession ............................................................................................... 16 4.2.3 Salaries ....................................................................................................................... 16 4.2.4 Professional Status ..................................................................................................... 17 4.2.5 Working Time and Holidays ........................................................................................ 17 4.2.6 Promotion, Advancement ........................................................................................... 17 4.2.7 Retirement and Pensions ........................................................................................... 17 4.3 Continuing Professional Development for Academic Staff Working in Higher Education ... 18 4.3.1 Organizational Aspects ............................................................................................... 18 4.3.2 Incentives for Participation in Continuing Professional Development Activities ......... 18

5 Management and Other Education Staff in Higher Education .................................................... 19 5.1 Requirements for Appointment ............................................................................................ 19 5.2 Conditions of Service ........................................................................................................... 19

6 Quality Assurance in Higher Education ...................................................................................... 19 6.1 Responsible bodies ............................................................................................................. 19 6.2 Approaches and Methods for Quality Assurance ................................................................ 20

7 Educational Support and Guidance ............................................................................................ 20 7.1 Support Measures for Learners in Higher Education .......................................................... 20 7.1.1 Definition of the Target Group(s) ................................................................................ 20 7.1.2 Specific Support Measures ......................................................................................... 20 7.2 Guidance and Counseling in Higher Education ................................................................... 20 7.2.1 Academic Guidance .................................................................................................... 20 7.2.2 Psychological Counseling ........................................................................................... 20 7.2.3 Career Guidance ........................................................................................................ 21

8 Mobility and Internationalization in Higher Education ................................................................. 21 8.1 Student Mobility ................................................................................................................... 22 8.2 Academic staff mobility ........................................................................................................ 22 8.3 Other Dimensions of Internationalization in Higher Education ............................................ 22 8.3.1 European, Global and Intercultural Dimension in Curriculum Development .............. 22 8.3.2 Partnerships and Networks ........................................................................................ 23 8.4 Bilateral Agreements and Worldwide Cooperation .............................................................. 23 8.4.1 Bilateral agreements ................................................................................................... 23

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8.4.2 Cooperation and participation in worldwide programmes and organizations ............. 23 9 On-going Reforms and Policy Developments ............................................................................. 23

9.1 Overall national education strategy and key objectives ...................................................... 23 9.2 Overview of the education reform process and drivers ....................................................... 24 9.3 National Reforms in Higher Education ................................................................................ 24 9.3.1 2015 ............................................................................................................................ 24 9.3.2 2014 ............................................................................................................................ 24 9.3.3 2013 ............................................................................................................................ 25

10 Legislation ................................................................................................................................... 25

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1 Overview

Syrian Arab Republic is located in the Middle-East region and is one of the Arab League Countries. The Syrian crisis which started in 2011 (and continues to the date of writing this report) has impacted on all aspects of the life of Syrians. In 2011, the total population of the country was 21.800.000 inhabitants. During the war, according to the estimates of international organizations, about half of population has left the country or been displaced internally. In 2015, the estimated Syrian population was 23.684.000, spread inside and outside the country. In Syria, the official language is Arabic, while the second spoken language is English. The majority of people in Syria are Arabs with minority groups such as Kurds, Armenians and Turks.

In 2013 Syria’s Gross Domestic Product per capita (Purchasing Power Parity) was about $1.500 EUR. Since then, the economy has contracted considerably and GDP had dropped by about 50% in 2015. GDP per capita, rate of education expenditure and health standards have declined substantially, as many public infrastructures have been destroyed or damaged.

The official currency is the Syrian Pound (SYP). Due to the war and the current crisis, the value of the Syrian Pound has dropped from about 1 EUR=65 SYP in 2011 to 1 EUR=400 SYP in the last quarter of 2015. The average employee monthly salary varies from 30.000 to 60.000 SYP. Most of the prices have been elevated according to the currency devaluation except for those products and goods supported by the government.

Due to the current situation in Syria, statistics are difficult to obtain and check for accuracy.

1.1 Fundamental Principles and National Policies

In accordance with Article 29 of the Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic, education is granted to all people. Education is free for all levels and is obligatory from primary level to preparatory and secondary levels. There are two Ministries concerned with education in Syria. The Ministry of Education takes responsibility for the educational process up to secondary level and the Ministry of Higher Education takes responsibility for tertiary education and lifelong learning.

The most influential legislative reform in the field of higher education in Syria is the Presidential Degree No. 36 of 2001, which governs the work of private universities in Syria. The other legal framework that regulates higher education in Syria is Law No. 6 of 2006, which governs the work of public universities, which is called “The University Regulation Law”. This law is an amendment of the previous law. The new law gives more autonomy to universities, particularly with regard to staff appointments and promotions.

1.2 Lifelong Learning Strategy

Before the Syrian crisis and due to the huge number of students applying to universities each year, new methods of learning were introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education, including open learning education for example, represented mainly by the Syrian Virtual University and open study systems which can be considered as part-time study at universities during weekend days. These new approaches created an opportunity to increase funding to universities and to encourage some aspects of lifelong learning. In 2015, and as the number of students dropped due to the unstable situation in the country, new approaches were imposed to facilitate the registration of all eligible students in higher education institutions mainly through the open learning system and by facilitating the attendance of students in

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public universities in areas that remain safe like Damascus and Tishreen Universities, located in Damascus and Latakia respectively.

1.3 Organization of Private Education

Private higher education institutions governed by the Presidential Decree No. 36 of 2001, are regulated and structured differently than public ones. Private universities were not legally allowed in Syria before 2001, although there were a reduced number of private learning organizations and NGOs that had tertiary education learning partnerships with regional universities using open learning or remote learning systems.

In 2011, a new form of non-profit private higher education institution was regulated in Syria by the Presidential Decree No. 48 of 2011.

The main body governing the higher education sector in Syria is the Council for Higher Education, physically located at the Ministry of Higher Education. The Council is headed by the Minister of Higher Education and consists of the presidents of public universities and of a few selected private universities, the heads of higher education public institutes, representatives from the students union and teachers unions, the deputy ministers of three ministries (Finance, Education, Health) and representatives from the State Planning Commission.

All universities have to follow the organizational structure defined in the 2006 University Law with little flexibility. In terms of academic autonomy, decisions can be taken at academic departmental level. However, for decisions related to replacing curricula and other relevant academic matters, departments need to have the necessary approvals from the Council of Higher Education. The possibility of increasing financial autonomy is still a matter for debate.

Students are represented in the Council for Higher Education and in all Councils at faculty and university levels through the President of Students Unions in Syria (organization which has branches in each university.

1.4 National Qualifications Framework

Up to the date of this report, no clearly defined national qualification framework exists in Syria.. Some initiatives to establish a National Qualification Framework were proposed within some EU Tempus projects and by the United Nations Development Programme but they were postponed due to the current situation in Syria.

1.5 Statistics on Organization and Governance

Number of students

(in the academic year 2013/2014)

794.378

Public Private

764.242 30.136

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Number of HEIs that operate inside Syria

(in the academic year 2015/2016)

33

Universities Colleges, Higher Institute

9 (public)

19 (private)

4 (public)

1 (private NGO)

Source: The Ministry of HE in Syria

1.6 Distribution of responsibilities

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. The members of the Council of Higher Education are appointed by the Prime Minister at the beginning of each academic year. The Council of Higher Education has the ultimate power of deciding, implementing and evaluating higher education policy. Headed by the Minister of Higher Education, it is the main body responsible for issuing most of the detailed laws and regulations governing the higher education sector in Syria.

In terms of academic appointments, the system is highly centralized. All academic staff appointments and promotions are issued by ministerial Decree. All curricula developments have to be approved by the Council of Higher Education, based on the suggestions of academic departments. A government committee called the “University Admissions Committee”, headed by the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Ministry of Higher Education and the universities, 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 newly established private universities. Licences for these universities are issued depending on certain guidelines and rules set by the Higher Education Council. Since May 2011, an overall trend towards more centralisation of decisions has been observed. It should also be noted that both before and during the crisis, most decisions have been taken with little involvement of the local community including industry, NGOs and professional organisations. Most of these organisations are not highly involved in the decision making process within the sector. The public higher education system in Syria is based upon academic year or half academic year (semester) and not upon a credit hour system like ECTS.

2 Higher Education Funding

2.1 Public Education

The vast majority of the resources invested in the sector come from government funds, with a very low percentage of funds coming from payment of tuition fees and development partners' grants and loans. The main funder for the sector is the Ministry of Finance. The demand for resources, for either current or capital budgets in the sector is largely based on the number of students and the level of quality expected.

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The supply of resources depends on the total government budget and on the political priority attributed to the sector in competition with other sectors and priorities. In 2007, funds from external bodies did not exceed 4% of the total funds available to the sector.

During the years of the crisis, a considerable decrease of funds to public higher education institutions has been noted. Both new investments and current expenditure, mainly on international research, dramatically decreased.

2.1.1 Financial Autonomy and Control

There is basic government financial support to all public HEIs, except for the Syrian Virtual University and the Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA), both of which have a fee structure, enabling them to operate largely independently of government funding. Public universities have centralized financial plans based upon public higher education policies and priorities with little autonomy compared to private institutions.

2.1.2 Fees within Public Higher Education

Due to the war and the current economic crisis, most of the prices have been elevated due to the currency devaluation, except for those products and goods supported by the government. The cost of services, including higher education, has not increased in the same proportion as the currency devaluation, and the public higher education sector is still supported by the Syrian government.

In general, almost all public higher education institutions are considered free and students need to pay only a small amount of money as yearly registration fees (from 10 to 50 EUR per academic year according to the faculty) and the cost of relevant academic books (from 5 to 10 EUR per book) which are also supported by the Syrian government.

Less privileged students may ask for financial support to cover the costs of living and other administrative and tuition fees and they are offered places at the student accommodation at very low rates in public universities. Student accommodation at public universities is offered to all students from outside the city where the university is located, and represents a very small proportion of the annual fee.

For some new categories of students the payment of fees is different:

• Students belonging to the open learning system (Taleem Maftooh) are students registered at certain public faculties who use faculty resources for learning during the weekends. They are not considered in the same way as traditional students in terms of fees, modules studied, terms of class hours and timing.

• Parallel students (Taleem Moazi) are students who did not achieve the required scores at the General Secondary Education Certificate; having attained lower results, they pay much higher fees than traditional students.

The annual growth rates of open and parallel students have increased dramatically, especially during the Syrian crisis. In total, the fees required from traditional undergraduate students is about 30 EUR per year, while for parallel students, the amount may vary from 200 to 1.000 EUR, and for open learning students it went up to 500 EUR in 2015.

Among the public institutions, the other two exceptions to free higher education are:

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- the Syrian Virtual University, established in 2002 and operating upon a credit system which offers many on-line courses provided by EU higher education institutions;

- the Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA) which require students to pay fees from about 300 to 1.000 EUR per academic year. HIBA is a model of public- paid higher education established in 2001 as a joint project with EU and Syrian higher education institutions.

2.2 Private Education

Syria has 20 private universities. These universities are for-profit institutions except one which can be considered as a non-profit higher education institution with three branches. Currently private universities are not allowed to grant Master or PhD degrees. They are only allowed to grant BA and BSc in different subject areas. At private universities, the credit system is applied based on semesters; a special criterion is applied, in some universities more EU based in others more related to the American system.

The Ministry of Higher Education has full authority over the private universities; some autonomy is allowed in the internal governance; however the main role for supervision on curricula and educational matters is still in the hands of the Ministry.

2.2.1 Financial Autonomy and Control

The financing of private higher education institutions is fully independent from the state. Private universities autonomously provide funds for their educational and scientific work. The main source of income for private higher education institutions are tuition fees.

For private HEIs, the use of their own incomes is governed by the institution’s internal acts in accordance with its strategic goals. Most often, own resources are spent on infrastructure and salaries.

2.2.2 Fees within Private Higher Education

Private universities are funded mainly by associated partners, owners and tuition fees paid by the students. Students in private HEIs pay tuition fees much higher than those at public universities. In 2015, tuition fees ranged from 500 to 2.500 EUR per academic year. The average fee was higher in 2011, but the devaluation of the local currency due to the war situation currently makes the fee lower when calculated in EUR. Students in recently established non-profit higher education institutions pay a moderate tuition fees in comparison with traditional private universities. The main funds for such non-profit universities come from NGOs, local communities and donors.

2.3 Financial Support for Learners' Families

Given that most higher education courses are relatively free of charge, families are not given tax allowances or assistance when their children register at Syrian universities. Grants and other scholarships are given directly to students. There are new laws under discussion in the Parliament to support the families of those considered martyrs in the current war.

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2.4 Financial Support for Learners

Student loans

The public association for students’ loans is considered the main governmental body to financially support higher education students. Some private universities provide facilities for fee payments like instalments. Some private banks started to provide student loans from 2005.

Student grants

Students with the best grades, the top national ten students from each Bakaloriat discipline, are awarded scholarships to enter public universities.

Student grants are awarded to students with excellent accomplishments (academic merit) by the Ministry of Higher Education and by universities. At public universities, the best three students at each academic department are awarded national prizes each academic year. Also the first merit student in the alumni of each academic department is awarded a national prize.

Students of private universities can get a grant or yearly scholarships based on their academic achievement during their studies (full or partial scholarships). They also have special fee reduction, if they have brother or sisters registered in the same university.

Other social benefits

There are no special social benefits for Syrian higher education students. Students who are the family members of Syrian martyrs and academic staff of universities have special admission standards to universities. Private universities in many cases are providing free transportation facilities for their students based on the region in which they are located.

3 The structure of the Higher Education system

Higher education in Syria is provided at universities/faculties, colleges named as higher institutes, institutes and technical institutes. In Syria access to higher education is open to everyone who finishes a three-year secondary school and obtained the General Secondary Education Certificate (Bakaloriat).

The higher education system in Syria has two types of studies: academic studies carried out at universities, and applied studies carried out primarily at colleges (the so called technical institutes and higher institutes). Only limited applied subjects can be studied at universities. There are also technical and vocation education and training institutions (TVET) under the governance of the relevant ministries (e.g. technical institute of tourism, industry, technology and many other institutes). They are at the same higher education level as technical institutes.

Higher education is divided into three levels: First level (Bachelor Studies), Second level (Master Studies), and the Third level (PhD Studies).

The first level of studies includes:

1. Undergraduate Technical Studies (College, Institute, Technical Institute) lasting 2 years, can be considered equivalent to 120 ECTS.

2. Undergraduate Academic Studies (Bachelor) lasting 4 or 5 years, can be considered equivalent to 240-300 ECTS.

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3. Bachelor Business Studies – only applied at the Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA) - lasting 5 years, considered equivalent to 300 ECTS.

The second level of studies includes:

1. Master Academic Studies (MSc) – lasting 2 years which can be equivalent to 120 ECTS. 2. Master Applied Studies – lasting 1 or 2 years which can be equivalent to 60-120 ECTS.

The third level of studies concerns Doctoral Academic Courses (PhD), including a minimum of 3 years of study which is considered equivalent to 180 ECTS.

In the field of medical science (studies in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine), integrated courses are organized for the duration of 6 years and can be considered equivalent to a minimum of 360 ECTS. Pharmacy studies also offer integrated courses that last for 5 years.

Higher education institutions organize and implement study programmes in an academic year which starts in autumn and lasts until June.

An academic year may be divided into:

1. Two semesters, each lasting 16 weeks; this provision applies to both public and private universities.

2. Private universities can provide summer semesters lasting about 10 weeks. 3. One semester lasting for a year-long academic study period (from September to May). This

provision applies for Sham Higher Institute that is the only private non-profit university.

3.1 Types of Higher Education Institutions

In Syria, there are several types of tertiary education programmes and qualifications:

- Intermediate studies, recently renamed technical studies (Mahad Mutawast or Mahad Taqani): for most academic fields, studies last two years. The top five students of this level are eligible to continue their studies in the same field to obtain a Bachelor Degree.

- Bachelor degrees (Ejaza Jameia): for most academic fields students spend four years. Five years are necessary for engineering and pharmacy, six for medicine.

- Master degrees (Majesteer): students who have achieved good marks in their Bachelor and have passed a foreign language test are entitled to register for a Master degree lasting at least two years. The Master can be an academic Master degree (Majesteer) which entitles students to subsequently enrol for a PhD programme, or a professional Master degree (Majesteer Mehani) which by law does not allow students to continue to a Doctorate, except for the Master in Business Administration and the Executive Master in Business Administration degrees which give access to a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA).

- Doctoral degrees: students who have achieved a good mark in their Master degree (Majesteer) and have passed a foreign language test will be entitled to register for a Ph.D. degree of at least three years.

The above-mentioned degrees are offered by the following types of tertiary education institutions (Mossasat Al-Taleem Al-Aali):

- Universities (Al-Jamea): Offer mainly academic, and/or vocational/applied study programmes at the three levels of study (Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate) in the fields of arts, humanities, law, Islamic

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law, economics, social sciences, fine arts, engineering, architecture, agriculture, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary science and medicine. All modes of studies are full-time studies.

- Higher Institutes (Mahad Aali): Offer mainly Bachelor and Master degrees in the fields of business, biotechnology, population studies, humanities, law, Islamic law, economics, social sciences and some other specific fields.

- Intermediate Institutes, recently renamed Technical Institutes (Mahad Mutawast or Mahad Taqani): Offer certificates of two years of study relevant to most of the Bachelor degrees offered by the universities.

- Other institutes (Mossasat Talimia Okthra): Offer mainly certificates of two years of study and Bachelor degrees which are related to a variety of ministries, depending on their specialization.

3.2 First Cycle Programmes

First cycle studies are offered at all types of higher education institutions in Syria. The condition for entering a first-cycle study programme is the completion of secondary education obtaining the General Secondary Education Certificate (Bakaloriat).

For some kind of higher education studies, e.g. Arts and Architecture, students need to pass an entry exam.

3.2.1 Branches of study

Bachelor academic studies are organized at universities (more precisely, faculties, institutes or higher institutes) and can last either four or five years. Depending on the specific curriculum, a Bachelor study programme can include a final thesis or a graduation project that the student has to defend at the end of his/her studies.

The main branches of higher education studies in Syria are: • Engineering, including all areas of studies (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Civil, Architectural); • Agriculture; • Technical and technology sciences; • Humanities and social sciences; • Law; • Economy and business; • Education; • Islamic and religion studies; • Natural sciences and mathematics; • Medical sciences including dentistry; • Arts and fine arts; • Interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary sciences.

3.2.2 Admission Requirements

The “University Admissions Committee”, headed by the Prime Minister with the participation of 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. However, the procedures and requirements

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for admission to universities are defined at both centralised and decentralised levels, i.e. at Ministry level and at university level. The Five Year Plans’ system in the country has identified a need to develop and implement university admission plans.

The entry level for all undergraduate programmes in Syrian universities is the General Secondary Education Certificate (Bakaloriat). The policy of equal access to higher education is strongly supported by the Syrian system. In principle, each student passing the General Secondary Education Exam is eligible for a place in the Syrian higher education system. This “open door” policy was adopted by the Syrian Government in the early 1970s and is still in operation. Students who have chosen the scientific track in the secondary school education phase are eligible to apply for admission to scientific faculties and institutes in the higher education phase, such as medicine, dentistry, engineering, science etc., whereas students who have chosen the literary track are only able to apply for admission to human science faculties such as literature, education etc.

The score achieved by the students in the General Secondary Education Exam determines which faculty they can join in higher education. For example, the minimum score required to enter the Faculty of Medicine in Damascus University in 2014 was on average 98%. Students achieving moderate or low scores in the Baccalaureate exam may only have an opportunity to apply for the Intermediate Institutes recently renamed Technical Institutes (vocational education and training). There are no age limitations, only limitations based on performance at secondary level. Due to the huge number of students applying to universities each year, new ways of learning were introduced by the Ministry, including for example open learning education, represented mainly by the Syrian Virtual University. The admission procedures are different than for "traditional learning". Usually, traditional admission to universities is advertised to the public before the open and parallel admissions.

Students in all admissions announcements (Mofadala) are required to give their university study preferences. Students are selected for one of the preferences they have expressed based on competition and the capacity of every individual faculty at the public universities. Because of insufficient performance at the Baccalaureate (Bakaloriat), some students are not admitted to public universities and most of those students go either to private universities or to technical vocational intermediate institutions. In order to have better opportunities, a considerable number of students retake the exam (Bakaloriat) the following year, but they may do so only once.

Specific admission conditions and procedures are individually regulated by higher education institutions. Most institutions organize entrance exams that are usually held in September under the supervision of the Council of Higher Education. The ranking of candidates depends on both the entrance exam results and success in the previous level of education.

The process of admission for private universities is different and it is mainly based on the maximum number of students that can be managed by the university’s teaching staff and facilities, which is also controlled by the Council of Higher Education. The admission prerequisites for private universities also take into account the Secondary Education Certificate results. However, the required grades of for admission are usually lower than those required by public universities.

3.2.3 Curriculum

The Council for Higher Education in Syria is conscious that there is a need for major reform and diversification of higher education programmes in Syria to meet current needs. The Council has asked the

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different universities in the country to reform and modernise their programmes. It has, to some extent, eased the regulation governing curricula development and made it more decentralized. There are some general rules regarding the curricula prescribed by the Ministry of Higher Education. Higher education institutions have some autonomy in the creation of the contents of their respective educational curricula. In many cases, curricula need to be approved by the university council.

Development of curricula is done either nationally or in cooperation with international experts through projects funded mainly by the Tempus Programme and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and more recently by Erasmus+ CBHE joint projects. Most curricula are developed in cooperation with EU experts or academics and to some extent, they reflect European approaches. However, this is not the case for the study material.

Across all faculties, Arabic and English or French are two compulsory subjects taught in the first two years. In order to acquire a Bachelor degree, all relevant subjects defined by the faculty are compulsory to students. On average, for 4-year Bachelor degrees, students need to pass 52 subjects, while 64 subjects are necessary for 5-year Bachelor degrees.

In general private universities’ curriculum has a list of compulsory and elective subjects, as well as their descriptions, the number of teaching hours and learning work load and the number of lessons they include. Still for many private higher education institutions, their learning experience and work load is not fully compatible with the standards principles of ECTS, even if some private universities have made progress in this respect.

3.2.4 Teaching Methods

At the majority of HEIs in Syria, lectures are held for large groups of students. The Ministry of Higher Education and the Higher Education Council set the rules and regulations prescribing maximum numbers of students attending a lecture at each level and every branch of studies (technical and technology sciences, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, medical sciences, arts) based on the number of teaching staff and facilities in each university. The same regulation specifies the maximum numbers of students at workshops and exercises, which are generally held in smaller groups.

There are specific rules for higher education studies regarding the teaching methods, especially for scientific and medical studies. Higher education teachers have to organize their lectures in compliance with the curriculum, but the teaching methods to be used are not prescribed. Teaching materials such as books and audio-visual materials are commonly used in the teaching process. In public universities, book and learning materials are provided at reduced price to students. Meanwhile in private universities, the materials are much more varied and in some universities English is the main language of instruction.

3.2.5 Progression of Students

The degree that the student is awarded on the completion of the first cycle programme is called the Bachelor degree (Ijaza Jamiaia). Students who successfully pass the required exams (theoretical and/or practical) can be transferred to the next year of their higher education studies. The passing requirements are different from public to private universities and are based on the various grading systems applied in Syrian higher education (full year, two semesters, three semesters; percentage or grading systems). Such criterion is regulated by the Council of higher education in Syria. When students achieve good marks at Bachelor level and have passed a foreign language test, they can be admitted to the Master

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level. However, this is based on competition, given the high number of applicants to Master programmes each year.

3.2.6 Employability

Little has been done to develop a National Qualification Framework (NQF) for higher education in Syria to date. In the past some local initiatives were established in the field of technical and vocational education. The collaboration between business organizations and higher education institutions is still limited, although some local chambers of commerce and industries have been approached on some occasions to modify the learning outcomes according to labour market needs.

Graduate students have difficulty finding relevant jobs based on their basic higher education qualifications. During the current Syrian crisis, this problem became even more severe because of the lower economic growth rates and the migration of many businesses outside of Syria. The gap with labour market needs, which grew over the crisis period, is especially severe for highly qualified graduates. Recently, the creation of new public and private universities helped to address these concerns. New higher education programmes and specializations were introduced to respond to the consequences of the Syrian war. Mainly, intermediate institutes were switched to become technical institutions with more practical subjects aiming to provide more qualified graduates for the local labour market.

3.2.7 Student Assessment

The most common form of assessment of students is the final exam, with very few attempts at other kinds of evaluation such as essays and group work. Accreditation and recognition of prior learning outside the university, is not applicable at Syrian universities, except for medical students, who by law must allocate their final year to medical training in mainly public hospitals. The main condition for students to progress from one year to the next is not to fail in more than four subjects, in which case the student is required to retake them in the next year. The main requirement for final degree is to pass all the subjects that the student is required to take in a specific field of study.

Private universities tend to use more a credit hours based system of Grade Point Average (GPA) for assessing students during their education.

3.2.8 Certification

The authority responsible for certification is the Ministry of Higher Education in collaboration with the higher education institution. Upon completion of the first level of higher education, the student receives a certificate with his/her relevant professional title and average degree earned. The student also receives a diploma supplement which contains information regarding the level, type and content of the studies successfully completed. Based on the accreditation of their university, the Ministry of Higher Education accredits the graduate students.

3.3 Short-Cycle Higher Education

No short cycle programmes have yet been accredited in either academic or professional studies in the Syrian education system.

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3.4 Second Cycle Programmes

3.4.1 Branches of Study

In Syria, Master studies can be organized by universities, faculties and higher institutes. The Council for Higher Education is responsible for approving the opening of new master degrees for all higher education institutions. The length of studies at this level is either one or two years (which can be equivalent to 60 or 120 ECTS). In order to enrol in a Master programme, students must have completed a Bachelor programme with at least 4 years of academic studies. To complete a Master study programme, the student has to write and defend a Master thesis at the end of their studies.

Until recently, only public higher education institutions could provide master programmes to students. In 2015 the Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Higher Education provided special permission to certain private higher education institutions to open 2 master programmes starting from the academic year 2016-2017.

3.4.2 Admission Requirements

The admission requirements and procedures for this level of studies are regulated by the Ministry of Higher Education in cooperation with higher education institutions. The number of students is determined by both the Ministry of Higher Education and the higher education institution itself, but it depends on the number of teaching staff of the HEI: the number of admitted students may not exceed 3 times the number of teaching staff in the concerned department or postgraduate studies section of the higher education institution.

When students achieve good marks for their Bachelor degree from one of the Syrian universities, recognized faculties or higher institutions and successfully pass the foreign language exam, they can be admitted to Master level. However, this is based on competition given the high number of applicants to Master programmes each year. Some Master programmes require passing an admission exam if so prescribed by the particular institution. Some institutions may also require the candidates to attend a special entrance interview with the Master programme's selection board.

In general, it is not possible for the Master’s candidates to enrol in a programme which is different from their field of Bachelor studies. In some cases (like Master in management studies) there could be an additional condition – passage of certain differential exams – in order to be admitted for the Master programme.

The admission procedure starts with an advertisement by the higher education institution announcing the number of students that can be enrolled, the eligibility details, candidate rating criteria and regulations governing the competition process.

3.4.3 Curriculum

The curriculum is developed at the institutional level. Study programmes consist of compulsory and optional subjects for some master programmes, while most of the programmes only have compulsory subjects.

The main language of instruction is Arabic, with some modules taught in foreign languages. The higher education institution may organize examinations, some parts or the entire study programme in another foreign language which in many cases is English.

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3.4.4 Teaching Methods

Compared to the first cycle, smaller numbers of students enrol in the second cycle of studies. Lectures are mostly conducted for large groups of students, while for specific Master programs like MBAs or EMBAs, the number is smaller (between 11 and 25 students).

There are no specific rules regarding the teaching methods for the second cycle studies. Teaching materials such as books and audio-visual materials are commonly used in the teaching process, but they are not always provided to students free of charge. Nevertheless, students are expected to refer to those materials when preparing their exams.

3.4.5 Progression of Students

The degree that the student is awarded on the completion of the second cycle programmes is called Master degree (Majesteer). It can be an academic Master degree which entitles students to subsequently enrol for a PhD programme, or a professional Master degree (Majesteer Mehani) which does not allow students to continue to a Doctorate (with the exception of an MBA or an EMBA which entitle students to continue in a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA) or in a Ph.D. programme at the Higher Institute of Management Development at the Damascus University).

3.4.6 Employability

Please see section 3.2.6.

3.4.7 Student Assessment

The assessment of students is a continuous process based on pre-examination activities and students’ results at the exams. Students who carry out the required master’s workload (preparing case studies, drafting essays, passing theoretical or practical exams) and who successfully present their thesis or graduation project earn the Master’s Certification. The total time to write the thesis cannot be less than 1 year and cannot exceed 3 years.

In general, grading is based on a percentage grading system for Master degree level.

3.4.8 Certification

Please see section 3.2.8.

3.5 Programmes outside the Bachelor and Master Structure

There are no programmes outside the Bachelor and Master structure for the formal higher education programmes in Syria. However, students can apply for private open learning or remote learning programmes in some foreign universities which have special offices or representations in Syria.

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3.6 Third Cycle (PhD) Programmes

3.6.1 Organization of Doctoral Studies

Doctoral studies (PhD) are organized at universities and last at least for three years (which can be equal to 180 ECTS). Students who have achieved a satisfactory mark in their Master degree (Majesteer) and pass a foreign language test are entitled to register for a PhD degree. PhD programmes involve scientific research and the publication of papers in scientific journals for some areas of studies. A PhD thesis is the final part of the doctoral study programme.

The PhD thesis carries 90% of the total grading system at this level of studies. The remaining 10% can be awarded for publishing two additional articles in certain refereed academic journals (5% for each). The procedures and conditions for the discussion of the PhD thesis are defined by the specific higher education institution’s general act, subject to the opinion of the Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Higher Education.

To date, doctorate programmes are only provided in Syria by public higher education institutions.

3.6.2 Admission Requirements

The Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Higher Education along with the higher education institutions determine the PhD enrolment rates in line with the estimated needs of society for the development of science, education and arts, but also bearing in mind each university's capacities in terms of space and human resources (number of teaching staff dedicated to postgraduate studies).

The general admission requirements are the completion of the master’s degree with good marks from one of Syrian universities, recognized faculties or higher institutions and success in a foreign language exam. The candidates should also have at least one research article published in a refereed academic journal and they should hold an International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL). In some institutions candidates are also assessed on the basis of their research skills and scientific publications.

3.6.3 Status of Doctoral Students/Candidates

Both employed and unemployed students have equal rights in terms of eligibility for any programme. However, some institutions require scientific sabbatical in different percentages for different fields of study. In many cases, doctorate students can participate in teaching and research activities in their universities as paid or unpaid activities. Most recently, the Ministry of Higher Education formulates the new legal requirements of a full time or part time PhD student in terms of university full attendance, commitment and hours of part time jobs outside the study period.

3.6.4 Supervision Arrangements

Academic staff is eligible for PhD supervision when they are at least associate professors. A PhD mentor can have a maximum of 10 students at any given time (either Master or PhD) under his/her supervision.

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3.6.5 Employability

Despite some attempts from the councils of universities, cooperation between doctorate students and professional business sectors in Syria has not been formally accepted, with the exception of some particular applied research topics.

A doctorate student completing his/her studies, has the right to be employed by the university as a teaching staff, only if a vacancy exists or as a researcher after reassessing his/her research work by a Ministerial Committee, passing an English language test and holding an ICDL.

3.6.6 Assessment

Students are assessed on the basis of:

a. Providing an original research in a subject admitted by the university council, based on a suggestion from the academic department (90% of the grade).

b. Publishing two additional articles in refereed academic journals (5% for each).

3.6.7 Certification

Students earn their Doctorate certificate after the successful completion of all doctorate required tasks and after the acceptance of the thesis by the jury committee and discussing it publically. Two compulsory published articles are also required for the degree.

3.6.8 Organizational Variation

PhD programmes are only provided by public institutes. Private institutions are still not permitted to provide PhD programmes.

4 Teachers and Education Staff in Higher Education

4.1 Initial Education for Academic Staff in Higher Education

Initial education, conditions of service and professional development of academic staff is regulated by the Law on Higher Education and by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Higher Education.

There are no special programmes for the initial education of future academic staff in higher education. Likewise, there are no requirements concerning particular subjects during studies, such as psychology, pedagogy, teaching methodology or other education related subjects.

The selection procedure for academic staff with PhD degree is mainly done via a public advertisement approved by the Ministry of Higher Education. Nevertheless, the common procedure is to appoint a huge number of teaching assistants each year who are then sponsored by their institutions to prepare Master and PhDs in Syria or abroad. The contract for all positions is permanent until the retirement age which is set at 70 years for a full professor. However, some exemptions may be applied.

For the private higher education institutions, the law for the recruitment of academic staff is the same, but with a little of flexibility for the selection criteria.

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4.2 Conditions of Service for Academic Staff Working in Higher Education

Academic staff in higher education institutions includes Teaching Assistants, Lecturers/Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Full Professors.

Lecturers and professors of professional studies may teach only at higher institutes and technical institutes and at university laboratories and, in general, not at universities for theoretical subjects. Assistant professors, associate professors and full professors may teach at all levels of higher education.

There are two titles for education staff in technical institutions working as associates: teaching assistants and assistants.

4.2.1 Planning Policy

The planning policy was established to balance teacher supply and demand in higher education by the Ministry of Higher Education based on a five-year plan. In general, the plan is made to bridge the gap between the demand for teaching staff and the supply of academic graduates mainly from public higher education institutions.

4.2.2 Entry to the Profession

For both private and public institutions, the higher education institution determines its recruitment policy and specific requirements, in accordance with the faculties present at the institution and with the number of teachers required by the teaching plan agreed with the Ministry of Higher Education and Council of Higher Education. However, there are some differences between the recruitment of new teachers in public institutions and in private ones.

Private institutions have more autonomy in deciding who to recruit and the remuneration policy is more open to competition. Meanwhile in public institutions, a standard procedure of recruitment through public announcement and free competition between candidates is applied for all positions.

The main categories of academic staff are as follows:

• Teaching Assistant: should have at least a Bachelor degree. • Lecturer/Assistant Professor: should have at least a PhD in the relevant field and have passed an

English language test and the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) test. • Associate Professor: should have at least five years of teaching experience as a lecturer, a

minimum level of publications in recognized academic journals and demonstrate experience in supervising Master students.

• Full Professor: should be an assistant professor, have teaching experience of at least 10 years since being a lecturer, demonstrate a satisfactory level of publications in recognized academic journals (including at least one internationally recognized journal) and experience in supervising both Master and PhD students.

4.2.3 Salaries

The level of remuneration has decreased dramatically since the beginning of the crisis in 2011. Just before the crisis, full professor at a public university could earn a monthly salary up to 1.500 euros net (including occasional teaching at private institutions, which the law allowed them to do). Since the start of

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the crisis, and given the huge inflation and devaluation, a full professor now earns up to 350 euros net monthly salary.

4.2.4 Professional Status

Most teaching staff are employed regularly on a full-time basis and remunerated with a monthly salary. Other teachers are recruited part-time with compensation per hour or per lecture. Based on their individual contract, teachers may teach exclusively in their higher education institution or they may also choose to teach in other institutions.

4.2.5 Working Time and Holidays

Full time employees work 40 hours per week with all other specifications being determined by their contract and class schedules, issued by the higher education institution. The institution determines the structure and schedule of teachers’ annual and weekly obligations. Staff members are entitled to a minimum of 15 vacation days per year, which are used during collective holidays and breaks determined by the academic year calendar. The number of vacation days per year staff is entitled to increases with the seniority. Staff members may use paid leaves in situations determined by the institution (professional development, conferences, illness, maternity leave etc.)

4.2.6 Promotion, Advancement

Moving from a lower position to the next one (from teaching assistant to full professor) is considered career advancement. Although academic staff members have to formally undergo recruitment process in order to earn a higher position, this advancement is an expected evolution for those who wish to continue their career at the same institution.

As teaching staff is paid per teaching hour, the higher the rank of the teacher the higher the pay per hour. Consequently, a promotion to a higher position brings a salary increase, like in any other case of teacher promotion (e.g. becoming the Head of Department, the Dean, a committee member etc.). Furthermore, each year of working experience brings an increase in salary and in the number of annual leave days, as specified by the Labour Law.

The law identifies the conditions for promotion and advancement to higher academic positions. The Ministry of Higher Education and the Council of Higher Education, however, is reviewing the law in order to achieve equality and fairness for hard working academic staff.

4.2.7 Retirement and Pensions

Teachers may retire at the age of 65 with a minimum of 15 years of work, but have to retire at the age of 70. Staff who, at the age of 65, has the status of associate professor or full professor has the right to extend its employment for a period of up to 3 years after the age of 70, under the terms of the respective higher education institutions. After retirement, teachers are allowed to keep some of their official engagements such as membership in committees or mentorship, for a period of no longer than 2 years.

After retirement, teachers keep their respective titles. A very small percentage of teachers can get promoted to professor emeritus.

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Pensions are determined by the unified Law of employment in the country.

4.3 Continuing Professional Development for Academic Staff Working in Higher Education

4.3.1 Organizational Aspects

The professional development of academic staff is in most cases based on scientific work. There are no requirements determined by law regarding professional development at this level, which is therefore most commonly optional, unless required differently by the particular higher education institution. However, professional development in the form of published scientific papers and other relevant publications is extremely important for career promotion. This is one of the criteria for the teacher’s recruitment and career evolution to higher positions (as explained in section 4.2.2).

Professional development can be organized in the form of specialization, work towards a higher level of formal education, symposia, courses, study theses, congresses, seminars, conferences and similar activities.

The link between higher education and research is very strong in Syria. Most research is done in public universities and all funds come from the government. No research funds come from the private sector or from other institutions. In addition to universities, there are a few independent research institutions in the country, but they also are funded by the government.

The management of research is centralized by the Ministry of Higher Education. Once again, the main body responsible for the overall policy concerning university research is the Council for Higher Education. In collaboration with the Higher Commission of Scientific Research, attached to the Prime Ministry Office, and together with other research centres outside the higher education sector, the Council for Higher Education coordinates the research at the national level. Private universities are not involved in research to an ambitious level, although they have recently been encouraged by the Ministry to develop research.

The Syrian international index on published research shows that in general, the level of research is lower than among its counterparts in the Middle East. From 1996 to 2014, with 5151 international indexed published research in total, Syria was overall ranked 101 out of 239 countries considered by SCImago Journal and Country Rank powered by Scopus.

Until the early nineties, the Arabic language in Syria was the major source of delivery for research and teaching at higher education institutions. By 2000, with the establishment of private schools and universities in the country, other languages became more prominent in the Syrian higher education sector. Since then, in addition to Arabic, both English and French languages also have become popular in the higher education institutions, reflecting the trend of the Government towards developing Syrian capacities in higher education in cooperation with western counterparts.

4.3.2 Incentives for Participation in Continuing Professional Development Activities

The Ministry of Higher Education and higher education institutions regularly approve funds for research work and science development, for which academic staff may apply. Because of the current Syrian crisis, spending on scientific research and teachers’ professional development has been decreasing gradually from 2011 up to the time of writing this report. The Ministry of Higher Education and the institutions themselves provide scholarships for academic and teaching staff for postgraduate studies inside and outside Syria although the number of such scholarships has decreased during the current Syrian crisis.

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Other incentives might include participation of teaching staff in seminars, conferences and workshops for paid work papers and postgraduate studies.

After 5 years of employment, higher education institutions may approve one sabbatical year for teacher’s professional development and scientific research purposes. The institution is obliged to approve unpaid leave for professional development, especially for participation in scientific projects and the preparation of PhD or specialization thesis.

5 Management and Other Education Staff in Higher Education

5.1 Requirements for Appointment

According to the Syrian Law on Higher Education (2006) which governs the whole process of higher education management, the managing body of each higher education institution is the Council of the institution which is composed of staff, students and founders’ representatives. The members of the Council are selected every two years, in accordance with the institution's statute. The selection criteria, the programme of work and the decision-making procedures are determined by the Ministry of Higher Education.

The Rector is the executive managing body of the university. The Dean has the same function at faculty level. These positions are given to selected fulltime professors working in these institutions. Rectors and Deans of public higher education institutions are appointed by special laws and decrees either by the President of Syria (Rectors), or by the Minister of Higher Education (Deans and Heads of Department), after consultations with the Al-Bath1 Office for Education and Higher Education.

Under the same conditions and requirements, Vice-Rectors and Vice-Deans support the work of Rectors/Deans, as members of executive managing bodies. Vice-Rectors and Vice-deans are also full time professors.

Other professional bodies contributing to the functioning of higher education institutions are the scientific or academic councils and committees, as well as other bodies possibly decided at faculty or scientific department level.

5.2 Conditions of Service

In general, the selection and recruitment of employees and teaching staff within the public higher education institutions are determined by law and through public announcements, selection competitions and tests. Meanwhile for private higher education institutions, details on selection of the managing bodies, their dismissal, responsibility and other conditions of service are determined separately by each institution which is also governed by a separate labour law for the private sector.

6 Quality Assurance in Higher Education

6.1 Responsible bodies

Currently, the body responsible for the evaluation of higher education institutions and programmes is supposed to be the Ministry of Higher Education. However, the procedures for quality assurance and

1 Al-Bath is the political party governing Syria since 1963.

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accreditation are operated in an ad hoc way. No formal procedures for the evaluation process are in place so far, and evaluation is conducted informally. There are some attempts to launch the first pilot evaluation test for university graduates of both public and private higher education institutions. Very few attempts have been made to evaluate the institutional level. Most self-assessments were made at academic department level.

The licensing mechanisms to establish higher education institutions are different from public to private. The body responsible for licensing the public institution is the Prime Minister’s Office and this is done according to the Five Year Plan.

For the private institutions, the body responsible for giving a license to establish a private university is the Ministry of Higher Education after receiving the approval of the Council for Higher Education and in accordance with the relevant Presidential Law.

6.2 Approaches and Methods for Quality Assurance

External reviews tackling quality assurance systems were based on ad-hoc initiatives by universities, as in the case of Damascus University, which made a entire evaluation and review of its current operating system with the support of quality experts from the EU. Participation of students in evaluating the system is rarely mentioned in most universities. However, Damascus University was the leading body in this activity. Most of these evaluations have been disseminated to the public.

7 Educational Support and Guidance

7.1 Support Measures for Learners in Higher Education

7.1.1 Definition of the Target Group(s)

Because of current Syrian crisis started in 2011, many students left the country or even became Internal Displace Persons (IDP).

7.1.2 Specific Support Measures

Special support was given for those students whose higher education institutions were not any longer functioning. The different types of devised support include the possibility to attend the study programmes in other relevant institutions in safe areas, lower tuitions fees and special examinations as an extra round of exams.

7.2 Guidance and Counselling in Higher Education

7.2.1 Academic Guidance

Some HEIs started to provide special student guidance like open days before registration, for both students and parents in order to know better the educational offer provided to students. Some of the services provided include free HEI tour, seminars and workshops about study departments and specializations as well as orientation and on boarding sessions for new students.

7.2.2 Psychological Counselling

No information available.

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7.2.3 Career Guidance

At higher education level, career guidance is provided through university and faculty career development centres. Depending on the level of support that the institution receives, some higher education institutions have created career centres. Services include free seminars, workshops and lectures for students to support and develop their labour market skills and other educational relevant experiences.

8 Mobility and Internationalization in Higher Education

For the time being, there is no particular national strategy dealing with internationalization and mobility, even though the higher education law permits in some cases the mobility of students for special reasons

Year Name of the project

Med countries involved

European countries involved Web page

2007 Josyleen I Lebanon, Syria, Jordan

Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland,

Lithuania, Italy

www.josyleen.eu

2010 Josyleen II Lebanon, Syria, Jordan

Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland,

Lithuania, Italy

www.josyleen.eu

2011 Josyleen III Syria, Jordan Sweden, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland,

Lithuania, Italy

www.josyleen.eu

2011 Avempace I Syria, Jordan Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK

www.avempace.eu

2012 Dunia Beam Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Italy, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Belgium, France, Sweden, Lithuania

www.duniabeam.eu

2012 Peace I Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Spain, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Czech Republic, UK

www.usc.es/peace/call.htm

2012 Epic Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Italy, Poland, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Slovenia

www.eu-epic.eu

2012 Avempace II Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK

www.avempace2.eu

2013 Peace II Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Spain, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Czech Republic, UK,

Poland

www.usc.es/peace2

2013 Avempace III Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK

www.avempace3.eu

2013 Phoenix Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain

www.em-phoenix.eu

2013 Hermes Jordan, Lebanon,

Palestine, Syria

France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus www.hermes-mundus.eu

2014 ASSUR Syria Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Estonia, Romania, Germany, Austria, Hungary,

Belgium

www.erasmusmundus.univaq.it/assur

2014 AP+ Syria Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Spain

www.avempaceplus.eu

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defined by law and to be agreed upon by the Council of Higher Education. There are some institutional attempts to formulate a strategy of internationalisation, as in the Case of Damascus University. The implementation of international activities became less evident during the crisis, and there was a trend in universities to become more interested in eastern higher education systems, mainly Russian and Iranian ones.

8.1 Student Mobility

The Ministry of Higher Education explicitly identifies policies to promote higher education study opportunities for students from other countries. A large number of foreign students used to study at Syrian universities in subject areas such as Arabic and Islamic studies. Regionally, the Ministry of Higher Education has signed agreements with several Arab countries, in order to promote postgraduate and undergraduate student exchanges.

At university level, the major Syrian universities have agreements and Memoranda of Understanding with several universities abroad. However, the aims differ from university to university. For example, in Damascus University, developing an agreement leading to a joint degree is the main priority, in Aleppo University the focus is on international agreements that lead to capacity-building of teaching assistants.

Syria has participated in the Tempus programme since 2002 and in different Erasmus Mundus actions and projects and recently started the Erasmus+ Programme. The number of international student mobilities has increased over the past ten years, especially during the current Syrian crisis, as students are searching even more for mobility options to EU universities, in order to continue their studies outside the country.

Under the Tempus programme, more than 300 academics and higher education administrators from Syria went to Europe and a similar number of EU academics visited Syria. In total there were more than 1 000 mobility exchanges. Under the different actions of Erasmus Mundus, other mobilities took place, most of them within the Action 2 Partnership Projects whose list is given below:

Under the International Credit Mobility of the Erasmus+ Programme, Syria was involved in 5 projects in 2015 with a total participation of 24 students (and 11 Staff).

8.2 Academic staff mobility

All teaching assistants who are appointed at universities and higher education institutes are sponsored by their institutions to complete their higher education studies. Most of those teaching assistants are sent abroad to prepare their Master and PhD degrees. Syrian governmental policy supported students to study abroad primarily in leading western countries, mainly in Germany, France and United Kingdom. At the end of 2010, there had been 2.405 Syrian teaching assistants studying abroad, consuming hundreds of millions of Syrian pounds of national incomes. More than half of them were appointed as teaching assistants at Syrian universities, prior to leaving for the receiving countries.

Syrian HEIs have actively participated in the Tempus programme since 2002, Erasmus Mundus key actions and recently, in the Erasmus+ Programme which all provided many occasions for staff mobility mainly to the EU.

8.3 Other Dimensions of Internationalization in Higher Education

8.3.1 European, Global and Intercultural Dimension in Curriculum Development

Syria has not been adopting Bologna process yet. The intercultural dimension in curriculum development does not exist as such, but many public and private universities have developed their teaching curricula

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based on English, French or other foreign languages beside the main teaching language which is Arabic. This is made mainly under some initiatives from higher education institutions that had major partnerships with EU universities to develop their teaching methods and to bridge the intercultural gap of teaching students in an internationalized framework.

8.3.2 Partnerships and Networks

There is no governmental body facilitating and fostering such partnerships except the Department of International Cooperation in the Ministry of Higher Education. At the university level this is promoted by a local public relations or international relations office present in each Syrian HEI. The main non-governmental body which is related to the education and scientific networking is NOSSTIA. NOSSTIA is an NGO committed to support Syria's public and private sectors in introducing and implementing advanced knowledge and techniques in a variety of scientific fields. Its role is to build bridges between Syrian experts living abroad and their motherland and to facilitate communication and knowledge exchange in order to contribute to the economic, human and technical development of the country. To this end, NOSSTIA organized three "International Conferences on Information and Communication Technologies: From Theory to Applications” held in Damascus in April 2004, April 2006 and April 2008 respectively.

8.4 Bilateral Agreements and Worldwide Cooperation

8.4.1 Bilateral agreements

Traditionally higher education institutions in Syria had tight connections and bilateral agreements with Arab and EU universities. Recently, some other agreements have been signed with Russian and Iranian HEIs because of the current Syrian crisis and the sanctions from the European Union on the Syrian Government including the Ministry of Higher Education.

8.4.2 Cooperation and participation in worldwide programmes and organizations

The Ministry of Higher Education has contacts with international organization such UNESCO, and the Association of Arab University.

9 On-going Reforms and Policy Developments

9.1 Overall national education strategy and key objectives

The Ministry of Higher Education in Syria is striving to set priorities, devise executive plans to implement them and continue the process of modernization of the sector. To fulfil its goals, the Ministry of Higher Education usually cooperates 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 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the last reform programme set by the Ministry before the current Syrian crisis addressed a series of priorities, some of which had been already established during the last five years, while other objectives are on hold until the situation in Syria improves:

• The establishment of new institutions, faculties and programmes within existing institutions (4 new public universities had been opened since 2011 as well as 5 new private HEIs).

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• A new admissions policy congruent with academic standards, students’ potential and national development needs.

• Developing existing curricula and implementing dynamic flexible rules for their continuous revision in response to social and market needs.

• Continuing the process of establishing a Quality Assurance and Accreditation System. • Devising executive plans for upgrading academic staff's skills. • Upgrading the environment through the provision of enabling tools such as: labs, modern

libraries, network connectivity, etc. • Improving academic research and graduate study programmes. • Upgrading vocational and educational training institutes. • Enhancing governance and introducing updated management information systems. • Developing effective statistics for planning at strategic and policy levels.

Nevertheless, one of the major shortcomings of higher education in Syria in general is the lack of relevance of programmes and curricula to meet labour market needs.

During the crisis, as mentioned in paragraph 7.1.2, new objectives were developed and carried out mainly to facilitate the normal course of the academic year in many institutions across Syria. For example during the past five years at some major universities as Al-Bath University in Homs, the branch of Aleppo University in Idleb and Alfurat University in Dier Azzour in the northeast of Syria, some academic years between 2011 and 2015 had to be suspended or lessons and students redirected to other universities.

9.2 Overview of the education reform process and drivers

The Ministry of Higher Education along with the Council of Higher Education develop long and short term plans for the higher education sector. The strategic plans are included in the Syrian national 5 years plan, while yearly plans are agreed upon by the Ministry cabinet. Many actors are involved in the development process of planning including ministries like education, interior, defence and agriculture. Other public organizations and institutions as the Public Institution of Planning and International Cooperation also participate in the process.

9.3 National Reforms in Higher Education

9.3.1 2015

• The creation of a new university in Tartous in response to demographics changes in Syria because of the current crisis. The university will include 9 faculties.

• The amendment of the executive instructions of universities' regulations concerning postgraduate studies admission and the support for relevant research and theses.

9.3.2 2014

• The creation of new faculties within existing universities in response to the demand of specific graduates by the labour market and higher education reform plans.

• The creation of a new university in Hama in response to demographics changes in Syria because of the current crisis. The university includes 11 faculties.

• The creation and opening of new departments and higher education study programmes (undergraduate and postgraduate) in almost all universities and institutions in Syria to respond to the

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needs of the labour market and to go ahead with the higher education reform plans. This was made though bylaws and ministerial decisions.

9.3.3 2013

• The development of Technical and Vocational higher education through the creation of the Council of Technical Education as part of the formal higher education decision making bodies in Syria. The development of TVET in Syria is part of the higher education reform plans, which responded more quickly to the variation of demand for qualified technical graduates in the local labour market.

• The new decree on formal scientific scholarships for students and teachers in higher education system. The new law regulates the in and out flow of students and scholars with internal and external scholarships in order to rectify the misbalance of teachers and scientific researchers in Syria, mainly resulting from the massive flows of Syrian HE scholars outside the country.

• The cancellation of military training for male students enrolled in higher education institutions. This decree was due to the lack of sufficient logistics to provide the training to the students.

10 Legislation

• Law No. 6 of 2006 University Regulation Law. • Law No. 7 of 2006 Scientific Sabbatical Law. • Executive instructions of the Scientific Sabbatical Law issued under the organization

decree No. 6/2006 about the study system in Higher Education Institutions. • Decree No. 245 of 2010: Amendment of the executive instruction of the law regulating

Universities No. 6/2006 about the study system in Higher Education Institutions. • Bylaw No. 277 dated 15/6/2015, Admission of teaching staff to the Higher Education

Institutions. • Bylaw No. 317 dated 10/8/2015, Recruitment of staff in the Higher Education Institutions. • Decree No. 227 dated 1/9/2015, Number of supervision thesis for post graduate students. • Bylaw No. 111 dated 18/1/2016, Admission to Post-graduate Studies.

All legislations resources are from the website of the Ministry of Higher Education in Syria: http://mohe.gov.sy/mohe/index.php?node=5511&cat=1708&

Resources, bibliographical references and websites: - http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Syrian%20Arab%20Republic - Syria Tempus country fiche 2011-2012 - http://erasmusplus-neo.sy/ - European Union Delegation to the Syrian Arab Republic, ENPI 2014 350-391_171014, Study to

Design a Programme / Clearinghouse Providing Access to Higher Education for Syrian Refugees and Internal Displaced Persons, Submission: 24th of March 2015, Team: Irene LORISIKA (B&S Europe), Leon CREMONINI (CHEPS – PROMAN) and Malaz SAFAR JALANI (PROMAN).

- Ministry of Higher Education website: http://www.mohe.gov.sy/mohe/ (statistics and higher education legislations).

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ISBN : 978-92-9492-400-1 DOI : 10.2797/943911