Experts of developing university teaching programs in the Arab countries started meetings on Saturday, in cooperation with the Arab League Education, Culture and Science Organization (ALECSO).

The 4-day meetings bring together 18 experts from 12 Arab countries. Representative of the ALECSO Yehya al-Saidi said the meetings aim at engaging experts of the Arab Higher Education ministries in laying out mechanisms for developing the university teaching programs to address some shortcomings, such as the low-paced efforts to create new job opportunities for the graduates.

Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Students and Institutes Affairs Ali Abuzaid reviewed the ministry's efforts to develop the criteria of university admission, adopting new curricula or modernizing the old ones.

He stressed the importance of exchanging expertise with Arab and foreign countries, hoping that the meetings would be a starting point for bringing closer the criteria of development among Arab universities.

Secretary of the Syrian National Committee for Education, Culture and Science Nidal Hassan said the meetings aim at spreading knowledge of the scientific approaches in developing university teaching programs, adding that such scientific activities in Syria prove the good reputation of the Syrian higher education.

In a statement to SANA, Saidi said the meetings aim at approving two documents by the Organization, the first includes unifying the bases of developing teaching programs, whereas the second includes the needed criteria for the quality of these programs.

He added that Syria was chosen as the venue for the meetings given that it is a pioneer in preserving the Arab identity in the age of globalization and using Arabic as a passport into the age of knowledge. The sessions held today reviewed the experiences of Canada, United States and a number of Asian countries in the field of developing university teaching programs.