SQU boosts ties with Zanzibar

Academic collaboration: The cooperation between the two countries aims to enhance the academic level of studies at both the universities. Photo - ONA

Muscat: The Sultan Qaboos University will boost academic and research ties with the State University of Zanzibar by facilitating exchange of students, staff and collaborative research. This was agreed upon during a meeting between Prof. Amer bin Ali Al Rawas, SQU deputy vice- chancellor for Post Graduate Studies and Research, and  Prof. Idris A. Rai, vice-chancellor of the State University of Zanzibar, who led an academic delegation to SQU yesterday. Both sides explored the possibility of enhancing research collaboration in areas of mutual interest, and exchange of academics through a bottom-up approach. Prof. Amer Al Rawas gave an overview of the progress of SQU  in teaching and community service, and its emphasis on strengthening its post-graduate programmes and research. Meanwhile, Dr Rawiya bint Saud Al Busaidiyah, minister of Higher Education also received in her office yesterday the delegation from the State University of Zanzibar led by Idris Rai. The meeting discussed follow-up action on the agreements of the previous visit of the higher education delegation of the Sultanate to Zanzibar. They discussed the launching of the Sultan Qaboos Programme for Academic Rehabilitation of the academic cadre from the State University of Zanzibar. This programme would promote the scientific and academic level of the university. The Zanzibar delegation's visit comes in response to an invitation extended by the Ministry of Higher Education. The expanded programme of the delegation's visit includes a visit to The Research Council, Sultan Qaboos University, Nizwa University and the College of Applied Sciences in Nizwa in a bid to get acquainted with the achievements made by the higher education sector in the Sultanate and benefit from the academic fields. It is worth mentioning that the Sultan Qaboos Programme for Academic Rehabilitation aims at improving the scientific and academic level of studies at the State University of Zanzibar by providing scholarships to academics at the university alongside with providing training courses for the university staff. The State University of Zanzibar, founded in 1999, began offering classes in 2001. It has some 2,000 students enrolled in four schools. Idris said that his colleagues were impressed with the progress SQU has made during its two and a half decades. "This university has strong experiences in teaching, research, community service and internationalisation. We are keen to learn from the best practices of this prestigious university. Oman and Tanzania (Zanzibar) have strong historical ties. I believe that it is high time the two universities took the lead role in reviving the strong links between the two nations," he said. Source : http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-18818.aspx