Muscat: The Fifth Regional Conference of the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education kicked off here today under the title “Foreseeing the Future of Higher Education Quality: The Impact of Smart Technologies and the International Dimension on the Education Quality System”. The event will be ongoing till 7 December 2023.
Dr Jokhah bint Abdullah al Shukailiyah, CEO of the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education , said in her speech during the conference, “The Sultanate of Oman was among the first countries in the region to make a prominent and strong investment in the quality of education and established an official government body concerned with ensuring the quality of education, to give it full support during the past twenty-two years. It expanded the powers of that government body to include ensuring the quality of education in the Sultanate of Oman in all its forms.
She added, “Hence, it has become necessary for education to keep pace with the increasing technical development, to ensure access to a future full of opportunities and a promising new economy based on knowledge. To keep pace with this global technical development, we designated the conference title and its topics to be a forum in which minds and expertise in the field of higher education and information technology come together.”
The conference, hosted for the first time in Oman, is held under the auspices of Dr Khamis bin Saif bin Hamoud al Jabri, Chairman of Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit. Further, the conference aims to discuss modern transformations in education and their impact on the quality of education, especially smart technologies and the international dimension. The innovative use of technology in education is a vital resource for developing and improving the quality of education in the contemporary world.
The event focuses on a number of main topics, namely digital transformation and quality assurance in higher education, the role of smart technologies and artificial intelligence in enhancing the quality of higher education, the role of stakeholders in enhancing quality assurance and accreditation processes, and the international dimension of quality assurance and accreditation in higher education.
On her turn, Dr Nadia Hassan Badrawi, President of the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, indicated that ensuring the quality of higher education in the backdrop of technology remains a challenge that should always be considered and difficulties should be overcome to reach the goal of enhancing the level of education in the Arab world. This, she added, is aimed at ensuring the highest levels are achieved in Arab educational outcomes.
Moreover, the conference is includes dialogue sessions, presentations, and interactive workshops and as many as 4 keynote speakers, more than 25 working papers, and 4 accompanying workshops. A large number of experts and specialists in the field of higher education from various countries, in addition to representatives of relevant international organisations, are participating in the conference.
This conference will represent an opportunity for participants to exchange knowledge and experiences and form new communication networks in the field of education and technology. The conference, scheduled to conclude on December 7, features dialogue sessions, presentations, and interactive workshops, hosting over 25 working papers and 4 accompanying workshops.
Participants include experts and specialists in higher education from various countries, along with representatives of international organisations. This conference will represent an opportunity for participants to exchange knowledge and experiences and form new communication networks in the field of education and technology.
The conference included the presentation of a video clip about the OAAAQA and another about the ANQAHE, in addition to honouring the main speakers, sponsors, and the sponsor of the ceremony.
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