Sohar: The branch of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Sohar today organized a national symposium titled 'Role Higher Education Institutions in Achieving National Goals and Exploring the Future'. The symposium aimed to provide a platform for dialogue, to exchange experiences to analyze the opportunities and to address challenges facing higher education institutions in terms of national priorities. It offered guidelines about means of enhancing the role of higher education institutions in supporting domestic development, exploring the future, and realizing the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
According to Oman News Agency, the symposium was held under the auspices of Dr. Abdullah Ali Al Shibli, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Higher Education. The symposium's programme included three working papers that addressed strategic themes related to national development and future forecasting.
In the first paper, Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Qasmi, adviser for the 11th Five-Year Plan at the Ministry of Economy, reviewed the objectives and major projects of the plan. Al Qasmi outlined the salient features of the 11th Five-Year Plan and the mechanisms of monitoring its implementation and measuring its performance indicators.
The second paper was presented by Mubarak bin Khamis Al Hamdani, Director of the National Office for Future Foresight at the Ministry of Economy. Al Qasmi spoke about the role of future forecasting in supporting decision-makers in higher education institutions. He elaborated on mechanisms for using future scenarios in educational planning, in addition to presenting national models and practical experiences that enhance the culture of institutional foresight.
The third paper was presented by Dr. Hanifa bint Ahmed Al Qasmi, Assistant Vice-Chancellor of UTAS in Sohar. The paper focused on developing an effective national model that contributes to enhancing the contribution of higher education institutions in achieving national goals. Dr. Hanifa reviewed the importance of aligning strategic plans of academic institutions with national priorities, developing indicators to measure institutional impact, addressing common challenges, and devising solutions to achieve the role of higher educations in the domestic development process.
The symposium also included a panel discussion titled "Prospects for Enhancing the Role of Higher Education Institutions in Achieving National Goals". The discussion covered major challenges, opportunities, and partnerships between educational institutions, government departments, and various development sectors.
The symposium concluded with recommendations that laid emphasis on using forward-looking methodologies in institutional planning, in addition to enhancing cooperation between higher education institutions and stakeholders. The recommendations stressed the need to develop initiatives to achieve national priorities and enhance the role of higher education institutions and active partners in shaping future scenario and achieving domestic development aspirations.