Forum highlights integration between academic, industrial sectors

Observer

14 hours ago

More Omani students will benefit from the Siraj Foundation, an endowment foundation supporting education, during the 2025-2026 period, turning their dreams into reality, as announced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.
This announcement was made at the First Annual Forum to Enhance Integration between the Academic and Industrial Sectors, held under the auspices of Dr Rahma bint Ibrahim al Mahrouqiyah, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, at the Ministry's General Diwan office on Wednesday.
During the forum, 18 agreements were signed to promote community engagement in enhancing education, with the primary goal of strengthening partnerships between higher education institutions and society.
These agreements aim to cultivate a culture of endowment in support of education, focusing on raising awareness among students, teaching staff and administrative departments, as well as encouraging participation in educational institution events and activities.
The forum also featured visual presentations from private higher education institutions, public and private sector organisations; and the Siraj Education Endowment Foundation.
The Ministry also presented the Ejaad platform, emphasising cooperation between the academic and industrial sectors.
Engineer Mahmoud bin Khalfan al Hadidi, CEO of the Siraj Foundation, expressed pride in expanding the network of partnerships with educational institutions to enhance social solidarity and support students in need. The Foundation is actively implementing initiatives and programmes to support education in Oman, including the "University Student Sponsorship" initiative and the "Siraj Advantages" electronic platform, which facilitate donations and support for students pursuing higher education.
The First Annual Forum to Enhance Integration between the Academic and Industrial Sectors brought together institutions from both sectors and was attended by CEOs of public and private sector organisations, as well as presidents and deans of private higher education institutions.
In his opening speech, Yahya bin Salam al Mandhari, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, emphasised the importance of aligning higher education with the needs of the labour market to contribute to sustainable development, in line with Oman Vision 2040.
The forum aimed to exchange experiences in areas such as scientific research, training for graduate students and financing projects in private higher education institutions, highlighting the significance of developing a flexible educational system to meet the demands of the changing times and supply the labour market with skilled national talents.