The College of Education hosted the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Scientific Association of Faculties and Institutes of Education in Arab Universities today, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen academic cooperation across the Arab world.
The session was chaired by Professor Iman Ibrahim Ezz, Secretary-General of the Association, and co-chaired by Professor Saleh bin Salem Al-Busaidi, Dean of the College of Education, who served as Secretary of the session. The meeting was attended by members of the Executive Committee.
The meeting began with a speech delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities by Professor Anas Ratib Alsoud, conveying remarks from the Association's Executive Director. Professor Iman Ezz followed with a speech as Secretary-General of the Scientific Association. In his address, Professor Saleh Al-Busaidi welcomed the attendees and highlighted the importance of joint Arab efforts and the pivotal role academic institutions play in leading educational reform. He expressed hope that the meeting would serve as a fruitful platform for exchanging views, exploring new developments, and formulating forward-looking strategies that support education faculties across the Arab world and strengthen their contribution to human and societal development.
Professor Al-Busaidi emphasised that faculties of education play a vital role in preparing competent teachers and enhancing the quality of educational outcomes in line with the rapid evolution of knowledge, technology, and labour market needs. He noted that strengthening the role of scientific associations, such as this one, is fundamental to this vision through research, studies, and collaborative initiatives.
The meeting approved the minutes of the previous Executive Committee meeting held at Petra University in Jordan in October 2024. Discussions covered a range of academic matters, including a planned scientific conference to be held at Damascus University on trauma-informed education, organised in cooperation with the Association. Organisational aspects of the conference were also addressed, alongside efforts to revise the internal regulations of the Faculty of Education at Damascus University with input from Association members.
The committee also reviewed the journal’s activity report and encouraged academic staff from education faculties to publish in the journal to support their promotion. Proposals were discussed to link the journal with Damascus University, establish cooperation, publish an English-language edition, and appeal to ministries of higher education to recognise journal publications for promotion points, thereby incentivising researchers to submit their work.
Other agenda items included encouraging more education faculties in Arab universities to join the Association and reactivating the membership of previously affiliated institutions. Progress towards indexing the journal in Scopus was reviewed, including the proposal to add Scopus-published researchers to the journal’s editorial board.
On the administrative side, a plan was outlined to encourage inactive member faculties to resume their involvement with the Association. Emphasis was placed on the importance of communication and coordination among all Arab faculties and institutes of education. The committee also discussed the dates and venues of upcoming meetings, the importance of notifying the Association of changes in faculty leadership or contact details, and various financial matters related to the Association.