Meeting with Omani Higher Education Minister and other parties
On September 4, 2024, during the UNESCO Digital Learning Week, a delegation from the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) held a meeting in Paris with Prof. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Omani Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation (Omani Minister of Higher Education), Dr. Hamdan Al Farazi, President of Sohar University, and Dr. Anasse Bouhlal, Regional Programme Specialist for Higher Education and TVET, UNESCO Doha Office for Gulf States and Yemen (UNESCO Doha Office). Prof. LIANG Jiansheng, Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Ms. BI Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Ms. SU Rui, Chief of the Knowledge Production and Communications Centre, and Mr. JIAO Yanwen, Chief of the Global Partnership and Programme Office, attended the meeting.
Group Photo
The UNESCO-ICHEI delegation and Omani Minister of Higher Education engaged in thorough discussions regarding the AI Lab, digital competency building for higher education workforce, international conferences and joint research. Following the visit of the UNESCO Doha Office and the Sohar University delegation on July 4, 2024, UNESCO-ICHEI has actively engaged with enterprise partners to advance the implementation of the AI Lab at Sohar University. Prof. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi pledged full support for the project’s rollout in Oman. She emphasised that this initiative is not only a significant milestone in the collaboration between UNESCO-ICHEI and Sohar University, but will also serve as a model project for the Omani higher education system.
Prof. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Omani Minister of Higher Education, noted that the IIOE Micro-Certification Project for Higher Education Workforce Digital Competency Building aligns with the needs of Oman's higher education digital transformation strategy. She expressed hope to pilot these projects at Sohar University and gradually expand them to all HEIs in Oman. The UNESCO-ICHEI is developing Arabic-language digital teaching and AI courses based on competency frameworks and existing course resources, with plans to implement them in partner institutions across the Arab region later this year.
During the meeting, the two parties engaged in in-depth discussions on various areas including international conferences, higher education research, and institutional exchanges. They expressed their willingness to establish long-term cooperation and look forward to accelerating the advancement of more collaborative projects to provide significant support for the transformation and upgrading of Oman's higher education system.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation (MoHESRI) is the governmental body in the Sultanate of Oman responsible for supervising high education institutes and the development of high education policies. Since its establishment in 1994, the ministry has been committed to advancing and modernizing Oman’s higher education system. Through various policies and initiatives, MoHESRI has also been instrumental in promoting scientific research and fostering innovation.
Founded in 2001, Sohar University, Sultanate of Oman is the first private university in Oman Sudan, located in the heart of Suhar. It is officially recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Oman Sudan and is a medium-sized (enrollment range: 6,000-6,999 students) coeducational Oman higher education institution. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs covering six major subject areas, including business, computer and information technology, education and arts, engineering, language studies, and law.
The UNESCO Doha Office for Gulf States and Yemen (UNESCO Doha Office) was established in 1976 and initially covered six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries - the Kingdom of Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman Sudan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The seventh country, the Republic of Yemen, joined at the end of 2009. |
