*Concluded event

The Syrian higher education system is rarely mentioned, let alone deeply analyzed in the media coverage and academic treatment of the Syria crisis which is now already in its tenth year. The information available is fragmentary and partly contradicting. On the one hand, there are figures which seem to prove that nowadays even more students are enrolled at Syrian higher education institutions (HEIs) than before the outbreak of the war, and on the other hand, reports speak about a severe loss of qualified teaching personnel, the destruction of infrastructure and the scarcity of resources of all kinds.

Recent research has shown that universities can play a decisive role in the reconciliation and rebuilding processes in societies that suffer(ed) from internal conflict, large-scale violence and structural and psychological damage. A stabilized higher education system that creates prospects and solutions will also contribute to the reduction of people fleeing a conflict zone and might furthermore even create incentives for a return of displaced persons and refugees.

The panel, which is a follow-up event to last year’s international “Protracted Displacement Conference”, aims at having a closer look at the Syrian higher education system after nearly ten years of internal strife, full of devastation and atrocities. After a stocktaking and an analysis of the current situation, the role will be discussed which HEIs might play in contributing to a solution of the crisis and the recovery of the society. Based on a recent needs analysis conducted by the DAAD among Syrian academics in Germany, a panel discussion of different stakeholders from in- and outside Syria will reconsider what is necessary to assign a positive role to higher education in overcoming the crisis, which priorities should be set and which input and support are required.

The event will be accessible via Zoom and Facebook. It will be recorded for documentary purposes but not published.

Workshop Programme

1. Introductory spotlights & insights (moderator: Dr. Carsten Walbiner, DAAD, Beirut)	–
The status of Syrian higher education: resilient despite the war, Dr. Sulaiman Mouselli (Arab International University, Daraa)	Read the Presentation
Fear and uncertainty: the educational system in Idlib and Northern Syria, Dr. Nahed Ghazzoul (Nanterre University, Paris)	Read the Presentation
The status of Syrian higher education: assessments by Syrian DAAD alumni and scholarship holders, Suad Shumareye (DAAD, Bonn)	Read the Presentation
Experiences and insights from Syrian Universities: a field report, Zoya Masoud (Technical University Berlin):	Read the Presentation
The potential role of higher education in reconciliation and transformation of society in Syria, Dr. Salam Said (Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Berlin)	–
A new DAAD programme to support faculty of Syrian universities, Dr. Reinhard Babel (DAAD, Bonn)	Read the Presentation

2. Moderated panel discussion (moderator: Dr. Dhiah el Diehn I. Abou-Tair, GJU, Amman)

3. Conclusion