Getting education right
Getting education right
Talal Abboud, The Rector of the Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA) speaks to FW:
Private institutes of higher education have been mushrooming all over Syria since 2001. The irst to operate was the Higher Institute of Business Administration—better known as HIBA. In a remarkably short period of time, this young institute has built a very prestigious reputation for itself all throughout Syria. This was mainly due to the dedication of the staff and the quality, caliber, and seriousness of the students. This could not have been achieved, however, if it were not for HIBA’s solid curriculum, designed in association with several European universities. Talal Abboud, a digniied, proud, and wise man of letters, has been rector of HIBA since 2004. Educated in Paris at Dauphine University, he is an author of numerous books on Information Technology and E-Commerce. Abboud appreciates the value of education, and tries to inspire motivation among his students, telling them that dreams—no matter how seemingly dificult—are always within reach; they just need a strong will, a good education, and a high moral iber. He spoke to FW: about what HIBA has achieved since 2001, and where it stands today, after eight years of operation, in 2008.
Syria has started welcoming the irst generation of graduates from private higher institutes of education, like HIBA. Many of these students are complaining, however, that they were unable to ind proper employment in the Syrian market. What is your assessment of this problem, and if it does exist, how can we deal with it?
With regard to HIBA, we had our irst MBA graduates in 2007. Thirty-three of the 73 students who graduated were immediately employed in the private sector with an average monthly salary of SP 30,000 ($600). Only 22 are still searching for jobs and to the best of our knowledge, they will be joining the work force very soon. Most MBA and EMBA graduates often attain better work positions after graduation, since usually, they are already employed prior to enrolling in our program. As for graduates of the National Institute of Administration (INA), most of them have not yet found the jobs that they deserve. Most government oficials view INA graduates as fresh graduates, forgetting that after solid training, they are very eficient in administration. One solution is for state-run establishments to annually recruit 50 graduates from INA.
HIBA has made a name for itself, boasting of irst class graduates with a solid education, a high moral iber, along with talent and character. Can you tell us more about HIBA’s “success story”?
HIBA was founded in 2001, as part of the Syrian-EU Cooperation Agreement. Our ultimate goal is to provide a continuous supply of qualiied managerial people for both the public and private sectors. We deal with several prominent European universities, among which is Dauphine University-Paris. Moreover, HIBA has been given privileges and a special status by the Syrian government. It reports directly to the Ministry of Higher Education with the status of a university, not just an institute. It offers programs that include a BA, MBA, and EMBA.
What about the legacy of Talal Abboud at HIBA?
It is basically “skills” and the “transfer of experience,” at an academic and administrative level. The problem we have in Syria is not about inancial support. It is about “experience.” HIBA played a key role in settling experience through project formulation and implementation. Experience transfer came from European universities. The experience was “transferred” then settled in HIBA. One of the greatest rewards of working with European universities has been the foreign expertise that came to Syria. The idea behind partnership was to share common responsibility. We have shouldered responsibility with the Europeans; both failure and success. This leads to a greater motivation—for both of us—to reach more success.
The enrollment fees at HIBA are relatively high, when compared to public Syrian universities. How can it continue to attract students given the high cost of education— especially in the MBA and EMBA programs?
HIBA does continue to attract, and this proves that education is particularly honored in our society. We charge 600,000 SP ($12,000) for HIBA’s MBA and EMBA. This is considered very cheap when compared to similar institutes in Jordan, Lebanon, Great Britain, and France. The same EMBA program in Lebanon, for example, costs 17,000 EURO.
The number of private universities is increasing in Syria. Being the first of them, how do you rate their performance? Does HIBA challenge Damascus University?
HIBA and Damascus University belong to different educational sectors. HIBA is specialized in business administration for proitable sectors. It is therefore, market-oriented rather than academic, or research-oriented. This is relected in its program design. We have representatives from both the private and public sectors on our Board of Directors, mapping out the needs of each sector. This means there is no competition with Damascus University, our inclination being different, and the market is in continuous need of graduates.
What is the “roadmap” for HIBA in 2008?We will concentrate on several goals.
One is enhancing cooperation with the EU. We will restructure our degree program at the Bachelor’s level, making it four years instead of ive. We are going to offer degrees in “Finance” and “Marketing.” We will launch our doctoral program in collaboration with a foreign university. The supervisor will be either from our side or from the foreign school, meaning Syrian students will no longer have to travel to get their PhDs. Additionally, we will start our training and qualiication programs, with special emphasis on the importance of technical consultations, scientiic research, and revitalization of cooperation with the business community.
Post new comment