H.E. Dr. Rawya bint Saud al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education, and Chairperson of the Sultan Qaboos University Council, chaired the second meeting of the SQU Council for the academic year 2017-2018 on 29 January. The meeting adopted the introduction of a new specialization (Psychological Counseling) within the Master of Arts programme in psychology at the College of Education. The course will meet the needs of students and relevant health and educational institutions. Practical experience in the field is one of the evaluation criteria used in judging the level of the candidate. It is also an essential element for granting the certificate of practicing the profession.

The Council also approved the upgrading of the Medical Education and Informatics Unit at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences to an academic department to be called ‘Department of Medical Education and Information Systems’ to enhance the role of medical education in the college. The Council agreed to establish a recycling unit at Sultan Qaboos University (in cooperation with Be’ah, which aims to reduce consumption and preserve the environment in the community by improving and preparing the consuming tools of the community to reuse them before taking them out and finally disposing of them. On the other hand, it aims at promoting the concept of volunteer work, which will contribute to the activation of the university strategy to spread the culture of sustainable development.