Sultan Qaboos University received Her Excellency Dr. Reema Karami, Minister of Education and Higher Education of the Republic of Lebanon, and her accompanying delegation this evening as part of her official visit to the Sultanate of Oman. She was welcomed by His Highness Sayyid Dr. Fahd bin Al Julanda Al Said, the Vice-Chancellor, in the presence of a number of university officials and academics.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several topics related to the education and higher education sectors, foremost among them the importance of strengthening national identity, the challenges facing these sectors, and the need to place them among national priorities given their key role in various fields of development.

The discussions also touched on the importance of developing leadership within higher education institutions, the relationship between strategic balance and public policy, and the role of theoretical foundations in supporting applied, field-based, and leadership-oriented practice. The Lebanese experience and ongoing efforts to address challenges and advance educational systems were also reviewed.

His Highness the Vice-Chancellor highlighted current global trends, including the impact of the virtual world on cultural and ethical identity, and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in education, from course development to student assessment and performance measurement. He also noted the challenges arising from increased student reliance on such technologies, emphasising the need to develop long-term solutions to ensure that current and future generations can benefit from them effectively.

For her part, the Lebanese Minister underscored the importance of learning skills, critical thinking, and scientific research in light of rapid developments in artificial intelligence, noting that universities worldwide are paying growing attention to these issues.

The two sides also discussed avenues of cooperation between SQU and Lebanese universities, including postgraduate opportunities available to international students at SQU, the Afaaq programme that enables international students to pursue undergraduate studies, and the admission and registration systems in both Oman and Lebanon.