DAMASCUS: Syria’s Education Minister has called for an urgent overhaul of the country’s academic curricula and practical training methods to better prepare people for the workforce.
Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko was speaking at a meeting in Damascus between his ministry and the German Agency for International Cooperation, GIZ, to discuss mechanisms for modernizing the Syrian Arab Republic’s vocational and technical education sectors.
The talks focused on restructuring training programs to align them with the needs of the labor market and national reconstruction efforts.
The meeting was attended by experts from the vocational education field and representatives from various chambers of industry, highlighting the collaborative effort to bridge the gap between education and employment.
Sawsan Harastani, director of vocational and technical education, said the ministry was working with chambers of industry and the private sector to identify in-demand specializations and tackle gaps in the current system.
She said the talks looked at ways to expand the dual education model, which combines classroom learning with company-based practical training.
Hamza Al-Youssef, vocational education adviser at GIZ, said the agency had worked with Syria’s Directorate of Vocational Education to assess the sector and identify priorities for reform and development.
Mohammed al-Khaled, vice president of the Hama Chamber of Industry, said vocational school infrastructure and teacher training required further development and that enrollment in dual education programs remained limited.
GIZ is Germany’s main development agency and operates in more than 130 countries. It provides services in international development cooperation and education.
