ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s Ministry of Higher Education is focusing on “strengthening and rebuilding” the country’s war-damaged educational institutions, the minister told Rudaw on Saturday, explaining that encouraging academics to return from abroad is an important part of these efforts.
“We began by rebuilding what had been destroyed,” Marwan al-Halabi said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum. “We rehabilitated damaged infrastructure and revived the environment needed for education and research.”
He said the past year, after dictator Bashar al-Assad was deposed, was a period of rebuilding the foundations after years of conflict, starting with restoring core academic systems, including university admissions and aligning higher education with the job market.
“Almost all university admission systems became digital,” he said.
Halabi said that Syria’s greatest priority is rebuilding its human capital.
More than 13 years of war forced thousands of academics, engineers, doctors and researchers to leave the country, severely weakening higher education.
“Most universities lost at least 50 percent of their academic staff,” he said, while political restrictions, limited funding, and difficulties in travelling put restrictions on those who remained.
To reverse this, the ministry is offering incentives and fast-track procedures for Syrians abroad to return home.
“We are working extensively to bring qualified experts and professionals back,” he said, adding that the ministry is easing credential recognition. “We have solutions for everyone’s situation.”
Syria’s recovery depends on investing in people, he said. “I consider these human cadres to be Syria’s true wealth.”
Below is the full transcript of the interview with Marwan al-Halabi:
Rudaw: Doctor, what has changed in Syria after one year?
Marwan al-Halabi: First, praise be to God who granted us victory and liberation. These days coincide with the anniversary of the success of the Syrian revolution and Syria’s liberation from the previous regime. Truly, much has changed this past year. From the outset, we began restoring the foundations of our work, including the system for university admissions, as well as reconnecting universities with the job market. We enabled academic research by redirecting it toward filling research gaps and societal needs. Over the past year, we worked to rebuild what was destroyed. We began rehabilitating ruined infrastructure and the environment necessary for education and scientific research. We also established many centers for innovation and development, research centers, and centers supporting academic publication. All of this we began in the past year. Digital transformation was a core priority for the coming phase. Almost all university admission systems became digital, with minimal human intervention, to ensure fairness in university admissions, higher education, and doctoral studies.
Doctor, you came to a devastated country. Unemployment was high, education had collapsed, and the country’s reconstruction situation was extremely poor. Isn’t your responsibility heavy when it comes to fixing all the burdens the Syrian people are facing?
As I said, we always begin with liberation—and thanks be to God that was achieved. Then comes strengthening. We are now in the phase of strengthening and rebuilding, thanks be to God. After that comes building people and building institutions. Without doubt, building people is sometimes more difficult than building structures. Then comes development and scientific research. These are the natural phases of work after wars and after victorious revolutions. In this stage, we move step by step, and we have great hope that investing in human capital will be the defining feature of this phase. We greatly rely on Syria’s human resources and we are always proud of them. I consider these human cadres to be Syria’s true oil and wealth. That is why higher education is important for us, to prepare these cadres and ensure that the coming phase is rich with achievements.
During the war—after 2011—and throughout all the crises in Syria, a large portion of Syria’s professional talent left the country: university professors, doctors, engineers. Many people fled Syria. What are you doing to bring them back?
Truly, one of the factors that harmed education was the migration of skilled academic minds. Most universities lost at least 50% of their academic staff. In addition, there was academic isolation and a lack of engagement with the outside world due to limited funding and travel restrictions for those inside the country. There were also limitations on academic freedoms and political constraints placed on those who remained inside Syria. All of this contributed to the deterioration of higher education during the revolution. Now we are working extensively to bring back qualified experts and professionals from abroad, through incentives and accelerated programs. We are also making it easier to recognize credentials and facilitate their return. The Ministry of Higher Education has prepared many plans to encourage the return of experienced professionals, doctors, postgraduate degree holders, and academics. Thankfully, some have already returned and we hope more will come back. Even those who cannot return because of long-term commitments abroad can still contribute through blended learning or online teaching. We have solutions for everyone’s situation.
What is your plan at the Ministry of Higher Education for the Kurdish regions, the Kurdish cities, and the universities located in those areas? What are you doing for them?
The Syrian Arab homeland is a complete and unified entity that includes all its components. Our Kurdish brothers in northeastern Syria are part of this Syrian homeland. Therefore, after the return of these areas to the Syrian state, their situation will be unified with that of other Syrian regions. At the moment, at the level of education, bachelor’s degrees are already being offered in parts of northeastern Syria. But once the region returns to Syria, the same plans will apply. Even now, some faculties operate in the Hasaka, Qamishli, and Raqqa regions, and they receive full support from the Ministry of Higher Education.
Do you have relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government, particularly with the KRG’s Ministry of Higher Education? If not yet, do you plan to cooperate in the future?
We have campuses for Euphrates University and Deir ez-Zor University located in Hasaka, in northeastern Syria. They are there and provide services to everyone without discrimination.
No, I mean with the Kurdistan Region?
So far, we have no formal relations with the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education. But nothing prevents that in the future. We are open to everyone—completely open. We have no issues with any neighboring country.
Do you plan to establish relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government in the future?
We hope to establish such relations as soon as possible. We are open and have no issues with anyone who wants to build relations with Syria.
Thank you very much, Dr. Marwan Halabi, Syria’s minister of higher education.
Thank you, thank you very much.