A Strategic Framework for Engaging Syrian Academics in the Diaspora in Rebuilding Higher Education in Syria

The war in Syria has caused a severe shortage of academic staff across public and private universities, significantly impacting the quality of higher education. This report proposes to the Ministry of Higher Education a project that aims to: 1. Establish a practical framework to support the Ministry in assessing university needs and addressing faculty shortages by leveraging the expertise of Syrian academics in the diaspora through remote collaboration mechanisms. 2. Facilitate knowledge transfer and update academic content. 3. Strengthen connections between domestic and diaspora academics, paving the way for sustainable academic partnerships. The proposed project addresses several key challenges, including internal funding shortages, weak digital infrastructure, and the difficulty of coordinating between academics inside and outside Syria. To achieve its objectives, the project outlines the following steps: • Developing an implementation plan in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and relevant stakeholders. • Creating a communication network among Syrian academics domestically and abroad. • Seeking funding to ensure the project’s long-term sustainability. This project could help address shortages in educational specialisations, enhance joint research efforts, elevate academic institutions’ standards, and contribute to rebuilding Syria’s higher education sector. The report begins with an introduction outlining the challenges facing higher education in Syria, identifies specific problems the report will address, and provides a brief overview of the current state of higher education focusing on several pivotal assessment points. To highlight the project’s importance, the report reviews similar international experiences from countries that underwent war and successfully rebuilt their higher education systems. It then details the project concept and its implementation phases