The Syrian Future Movement welcomes the announced results of the 2026 Scientific Index, in which Latakia University topped the national rankings of Syrian universities, surpassing Damascus, Aleppo, Tishreen, and Al-Baath Universities. Al-Qalamoun University ranked 13th in the Arab world in medical and technical fields. The Movement considers these results a national achievement reflecting the success of educational reforms during the transitional phase and the role of the private sector as a leading development model.
The Syrian Future Movement values this shared achievement as a result of the transitional government’s $1.2 billion investment in higher education by 2025. This investment led to Damascus University’s jump of 200 places globally in the QS rankings and its first-ever entry into 19 international rankings. This enhances global recognition of Syrian graduates’ degrees and reinforces regional educational equity, with Latakia emerging as a decentralized center of learning and Al-Qalamoun University’s success demonstrating the private sector’s potential in financing and innovation.
The Syrian Future Movement calls for the launch of the “Syrian Scientific 2030” program, which aims to place 10 Syrian universities among the top 1,000 globally by 2030. This will be achieved through the digitization of scientific research, the establishment of a national publishing platform (Syrian Academic Hub), and scholarships for 50,000 students from marginalized areas (Idlib, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor).
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the need to establish an independent national body for quality assurance in higher education, headed by non-partisan academics. This body should operate with transparent mechanisms for ranking local universities and activate twinning programs with 50 international universities, including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, as well as universities in Qatar, Turkey, and Germany, to transfer technology and modern curricula.
The Syrian Future Movement also calls for a fundamental reform of academic curricula that links education to the digital job market and sustainability. This reform should mandate that 5% of university budgets be allocated to applied research in artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and preventive medicine. Finally, the movement advocates for the establishment of a national academic innovation fund supported by the private sector and international partners.
The Syrian Future Movement urges the Syrian Transitional Government and the Supreme Council for Education to adopt this vision as a strategic framework to transform academic rankings from a momentary achievement into a backbone for Syrian institutions, affirming its full commitment to supporting every effort that restores Syria’s global scientific standing, to build a nation that ranks at the forefront of universities, not on lists of wars and conflicts.
