"Challenges of Institutional Work in Syria and Its Future Prospects”: a Dialogue Workshop at Damascus University

 Damascus University hosts a dialogue workshop on the “Challenges of Institutional work in Syria and Its Future Prospects”. The workshop is held in cooperation between the Ministry of Administrative Development and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Dr. Salam Saffaf, Minister of Administrative Development, emphasized the significance of this event, based on the great interest President Bashar al-Assad and the government give to administrative and institutional reform, which greatly impacts the structuring of the national human capital. Dr. Saffaf also stressed that re-building the country on several levels (economy, infrastructure, services and human capital) is a highly sensitive topic and immensely significant for Syria. The development of institutional work, thus, is highly required.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Dr. Bassam Ibrahim said that the workshop is important because it presents ideas, and helps exchange opinions regarding institutional work. The institutional work in the Ministry of Higher Education, said Dr. Ibrahim, is based on partnership; the process is going on well despite the problems. Updating is required, Dr. Ibrahim noted, and we will hopefully come up with the appropriate recommendations and proposals to reach our goals through this workshop.

The first session of the workshop was about “The problems while dealing with developing institutional work and the solutions proposed”. In his presentation, Dean of the National Institute of Public Administration, Dr. Abdul Hamid AL Khalil, focused on the role of leadership qualities.

The second session of the workshop was about modernizing the human resources management system. Dean of the Higher Institute of Business Administration, Professor Dr. Talal Aboud, explained that human resources management is an integrated system. He also pointed out that the Ministry of Administrative Development has recently decided performance evaluation to be the entry for monitoring and improving the administrative process.

It is worth to mention that deputy ministers and directors of administrative development in public agencies, and a number of academics, specialists, postgraduate students of specialized management institutions and the Faculty of Economics have participated in the workshop.