The MoHE is responsible for quality assurance at tertiary level within the national educational remit. In 2005 a number of resolutions were issued in order to establish quality assurance centres sitting within each public university. Such resolutions allowed staff to be trained in quality assurance methodologies and to develop programmes for implementation. The Technical committee for Private Universities was set up two years later to offer accreditation for private universities. Despite all this, such quality assurance is not formally in place at national level. After institutions are issued with a Licence, there is not a proper follow-up to monitor such institutions, although programmatic accreditation is not yet in place. Although the MoHE prescribes guidelines on the structure of degree programmes, higher education institutions are largely permitted to develop and administer educational programmes themselves.
Before the civil war of 2011, MoHE launched a few quality assurance initiatives that included the Higher Council Decision (154/2005), in which the legal basis for quality assurance were established. Such decision included the formation of quality assurance centres in each university based on self-assessment. MoHE plans to establish a higher education quality assurance and accreditation system in Syria are under development.[1]
[1] Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Syria: https://www.ecctis.com/Product/International%20Comparisons/information.aspx?CountryID=160&TextID=166