Under the patronage of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, AAU hosts the QS World Ranking Summit and Jordanian University Presidents

Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Azmi Mahafzah, Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) hosted the QS World Ranking Summit and a meeting of Jordanian university presidents at the Movenpick Hotel in Amman. The event was attended by the President of the Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission, Prof. Thafer Al-Sarayreh, and members of the Commission's council, as well as the Chairperson of the Education Committee in the Senate, Dr. Mahasen Al-Jaghoob, and members of the Higher Education Council, presidents of governmental and private universities, and the head of the Educational Tourism Unit at the Tourism Promotion Authority, Mr. Abdullah Krishan. Prof. Sari Hamdan, president of AAU, welcomed the Minister and attendees, expressing appreciation for their interest in this field and emphasizing that the progress of Jordanian universities in global rankings will serve everyone by enhancing Jordan's role as a leading educational destination in the Arab region. The meeting began with an introductory speech outlining the objectives of this summit, presented by the Vice President of AAU, Prof. Anas Al-Saoud. He explained that the main goal is to shed light on the criteria of the QS World Ranking, understand the main challenges facing Jordanian universities, and identify factors hindering their progress or inclusion in this global ranking. Prof. Anas emphasized the necessity of collaboration on some of these criteria to advance Jordanian universities on the global ranking ladder. His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Azmi Mahafzah, highlighted the importance of enhancing the performance of universities in various international ranking criteria, as this will reflect on the quality of education provided, especially since focusing on these criteria will significantly contribute to maintaining advanced education and qualitative scientific research. Prof. Thafer Al-Sarayreh, President of the Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission, affirmed that the Commission continuously works with Jordanian universities to ensure the continuity of their development in various educational services and compliance with various ranking criteria, stressing the Commission's commitment to ensuring the quality of education provided in universities without conflicting with progress in the global university ranking. Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, Executive Director of QS World, discussed the current status of Jordanian universities and their position within the global university map, presenting the main challenges facing Jordanian universities and limiting their global progress through comparisons with universities in the Arab region. Additionally, Dr. Habib Fardoun, a key advisor at QS World, provided a detailed presentation on the research performance of Jordanian universities, offering an analysis of Jordan's overall performance in scientific research and outlining mechanisms that could contribute to increasing high-impact scientific research locally and globally. Based on the presentations, Mr. Rami Awad, Regional Director at QS World, provided a set of important recommendations that will help Jordanian universities progress in the global university ranking by working on the presented criteria. Subsequently, the attendees engaged in a general and open discussion about ranking criteria, methods of progress, and the ability of Jordanian universities to compete at the regional and global levels on various ranking criteria. At the end of the meeting, the attendees enjoyed a Ramadan feast.