Development of Contemporary Specialties
Dr. Qais Ahmed Al-Muhammadi
Given that most of the study programs offered by Yemeni universities are traditional and general specializations or not developed to suit their outputs with the needs of the local and regional labor market and with the requirements of comprehensive development, this issue will remain among the most important urgent development issues as its dangerous results affect Yemen as a whole as it reflects its impact on our generations.
The problem is not only here, but that the methods of teaching and evaluating them may not, in fact, follow the right strategies and methods that keep pace with the current era. It is good for a few Yemeni universities to initiate specializations that have a great need in the contemporary time and in the near future. Nevertheless, individual initiatives and efforts remain that do not include the development of most modern specialties. Moreover, its output will not be sufficient to meet the needs of the market at the national and regional levels. It is known that there is no strategy at the country level, as well as future foresight mechanisms to define contemporary specializations, and this important topic is one of the responsibilities of the entities that run university and technical education (a major responsibility), as well as universities and other educational institutions participate in it. We must not overlook the high school graduates and their parents, as influence benefit and affect them at the same time. In this regard, with the presence of acting entities such as the private sector, the government sector and organizations operating in Yemen. Therefore, these entities will have collective responsibility and roles in taking urgent practical steps to open contemporary specialties, to develop the current traditional disciplines and to prepare the environment to develop a practical strategy without waiting for the war to stop.
Generally speaking, the process of identifying the specializations most in need in this era must be carried out by specialized bodies, and this process depends on many factors related to studying the labor market, the strategic directions of countries and companies, the level of technological development in each country separately, and the capabilities of universities and other educational institutions for qualification and training in specializations that are expected to be the most needy .. There is no doubt that the continuation of the conflict in our country has created difficulties and complications for the development of a comprehensive strategy agreed upon among all the relevant acting entities and parties, and therefore it is not possible to wait for such difficulties to be overcome, as there are exceptional alternatives and treatments for this issue that has a deep impact at the present time and in the near future.
It is logical if decision-making and collective action are provided, and through the benefit of each of the Yemeni educational institutions, universities and technical colleges from international studies and experiences, and through coordination and networking with those with need in the private sector, the government sector and civil society organizations, we will be able to develop contemporary academic programs while ensuring that they are implemented and evaluated in a way ensuring the relevance and consistency of outputs with the labor market and overall development requirements. The responsibility in the first place is supposed to fall on the marching parties, being the party authorized to manage this issue, possessing authorities and powers, and having tools and procedures through which they can put pressure and obligations .. As a result of the continuation of the conflict, challenges have doubled, which may exceed their current capabilities. Although the marching parties are trying to address them, they remain Attempts without setting priorities and following several practical steps that include making use of the services of the Information Technology Center, as well as creating a department concerned with graduate affairs and the labor market specialized in counting and following up graduates, and carrying out statistics on the local labor market.
From the perspective of universities and other educational institutions, it has the most prominent role in adding contemporary vital specializations, which may need to open new courses in order to meet the requirements of development and the needs of the labor market. This role is not limited to the highly ranked universities that are looking for distinction and leadership only, but it will be in the interest of all universities to review unnecessary study programs. Then it prepares and presents advanced academic programs and does not stop at this step only, but must cover its needs of lecturers and trainers in addition to directing its applied research towards this topic of a strategic dimension, as well as through academic guidance for students registered in particular to the appropriate disciplines and by contributing to the awareness of high school graduates and their parents in general about the importance of specializations that keep pace with the labor market, as well as networking with the sectors concerned with the new specialization as there is a joint cooperation between them that includes the application of the practical side in these entities, and the graduates will work in them in the future.
In this short article, we cannot review all the acting entities and influencers, as there are active roles that are supposed to be performed by other parties. It is necessary for the Federation of Yemeni Universities to have the role of coordinator and organizer to come up with an urgent action plan that includes a chronic program and has realistic indicators. Also the Council for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance has a primary responsibility in overseeing the process of matching university outputs with the needs of the labor market, the requirements of development and serving the local community. The private sector and civil society organizations also have active roles, including working to create a database that clarifies its current needs and orientations in the near future, to be among the university indicators. As citizens, we also have a direct responsibility in the process of guiding and directing our sons towards the best contemporary vital disciplines within the framework of the desires and capabilities of our sons.
In general, with contemporary developments and recent international events, universities will have to expand the development of programs and specializations that have become more specialized and accurate related to the fields of computers, medicine, engineering and finance, foremost among which is information security (cyber security that includes internet and network security) and artificial intelligence (developing smart machines that develop themselves subjectively, which have characteristics of human intelligence), road engineering, chemical and nuclear engineering, biomedical engineering (mixing engineering and medicine as a specialty in medical equipment), respiratory care, legal accounting, financial analysis, vision sciences, optics, renewable alternative energy, electronic marketing, software engineering, mechatronics, legal translation, social service, etc. . With attention to the fact that it is noticed that there are specializations that are not much needed in the Yemeni market at the present time, and this does not mean that there is no importance or need for them. Yemeni universities and technical colleges will not target the local market only, and the future need remains, especially with the reconstruction programs that will be implemented with achievement of Peace.
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