-Muscat

Today began the "Future of Higher Education Institutions" forum, organized by the Royal Academy of Management in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation. The event, which runs for two days (May 1-2, 2024), includes the participation of university presidents, deans of public and private colleges, and representatives from both the public and private sectors locally and regionally.

The forum is part of the Royal Academy of Management's quality and targeted initiatives, and it is the first organized by the Academy's Future Readiness Center. It aligns with the Academy's commitment to developing and empowering national competencies and is in harmony with Oman's future vision, national priorities, and objectives. The forum also involves collaboration with the Academy's partners from public and private institutions to enhance skills in innovation and future forecasting. The event features 8 sessions and 2 workshops, with the Royal Academy of Management ensuring that the participating international speakers have rich experience in leadership, management, investment, as well as higher education, innovation, and technology.

During her speech, Her Excellency Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al-Mahrūqī, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, stated: "Education is the cornerstone of development plans and the main driver of nations' progress and prosperity. Higher education institutions play a crucial role in preparing human competencies, stimulating and encouraging scientific research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community service. Today, the world is undergoing a significant shift towards a knowledge-based economy, where the focus is on using knowledge and innovation to create added economic value and effectively drive development. In light of this transformation, the role of higher education institutions becomes increasingly important each day. Universities, in particular, are among the most vital institutions in this transition to a knowledge-based economy, significantly contributing to the development of society and economic sectors by generating and transferring knowledge to industry and the labor market."

In her speech, Al-Mahrūqī mentioned: "In line with the goals of this forum, higher education institutions are working diligently to enhance cooperation and integration with public and private sector institutions at the local level. They have gone beyond this to establish successful global partnerships that enable them to understand emerging developments and trends, enhance their readiness to address future developments, seize resulting opportunities, and build new visions based on fostering creativity and supporting economic growth."
She added that the ministry is placing significant focus, along with higher education institutions, on introducing modern disciplines related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and incorporating emerging sciences into higher education, such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, big data, and others. The benefits of these fields could be realized by offering specializations in these sciences or by utilizing these sciences to improve teaching methods and tools used in higher education institutions.

In his statement, His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Qassim Al-Lawati, President of the Royal Academy of Administration, stated that the forum is driven by the high interest of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq – may Allah protect him – in the education sector. It emphasizes the importance of linking education with economic growth requirements and enhancing creativity, innovation, and development among future generations to enable them to benefit from future opportunities that have a positive impact on the national economy. His Excellency explained that the forum aims to build visions, exchange knowledge, and reimagine higher education institutions by reviewing leading global practices and highlighting regional and international experiences, based on global transformations and advancements in digital technologies and artificial intelligence that have significantly changed the education sector.
He confirmed that the forum is part of the Royal Academy of Administration's strategic and targeted initiatives aimed at enhancing future readiness among institutions and leaders across various sectors, in line with the esteemed directives that aspire for the Sultanate of Oman to achieve the status of a developed nation.

The forum discussed the role of higher education institutions in enhancing national competitiveness and innovation, the changes occurring in the higher education sector, and development prospects in line with global trends. The goal was to enable leaders to understand emerging developments and trends affecting the future of higher education institutions, the future of work and business, and to enhance partnerships between public and private educational institutions. The forum aimed to build new visions that foster innovation and entrepreneurship, support economic growth, and improve the ability of higher education institutions to address future challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities, as well as to localize modern technologies and artificial intelligence in alignment with global trends in higher education.

The forum focused on several key areas related to emerging global trends shaping the future of higher education institutions. These included the role of higher education institutions in enhancing national competitiveness and innovation, reimagining the future of work and business, the impact of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence on the future model of these institutions, and the importance of positioning higher education institutions within global rankings and indicators.

The forum details its topics across eight sessions and two workshops. International experts will share their knowledge and experiences in higher education, covering the role of higher education institutions in national competitiveness and innovation, future operational models for these institutions, governance enhancement, innovative funding methods, and the future of work and learning. The first workshop will discuss how higher education can keep pace with sectoral developments and transformations, while the second will address the role of international rankings in improving the quality and competitiveness of higher education institutions.

The list of international speakers includes His Excellency Dr. Ahn Chang-ho, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea and former President of Seoul National University, His Excellency Eng. Abdul Latif Al-Othman, former Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at King Abdulaziz University and former Chairman of the General Investment Authority in Saudi Arabia, Her Excellency Dr. Joukha Al-Sheikhlia, CEO of the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance, as well as the founding dean of the College of Business and Innovation at Neom University, the Director of the Global Competitiveness Center at IMD, the International Institute for Management Development, and the Executive Director for Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia at QS Quacquarelli Symonds.