The College of Education participated in the 14th meeting for the GCC Joint Work Trustees Committee concerned with universities and higher education institutions. The meeting was hosted by Taif University, represented by the Deanship of Admission and Registration, on 19 and 20 Muharram, 1441 A.H.

The Dean of the College of Education and the Trustee of the Committee of the Deans of the Colleges of Education in the GCC countries, Dr. Ali Muslih Al-Matrifi, pointed out that the meeting was held as part of the continuation of the coordination of joint work in the field of higher education under the umbrella of the General Secretariat of the GCC countries. He added that the meeting was also held in implementation of the recommendations and decisions of the leaders of the GCC countries in relation to this field.

Dr. Ali clarified that the meeting discussed several topics important for cooperation and integration between the GCC countries in relation to higher education. He added that the meeting was held with the aim of following up on the implementation of the development objectives, policies and plans in the field of higher education, as well as discussing the priorities of joint work in the field of higher education, coordinating efforts in all the fields of education and scientific research, and deepening the approaches of the leaders of the GCC countries towards integration and unity through holding student meetings and activities. Furthermore, the meeting aimed to approve the joint work plans, activate the fields of cooperation between the different higher education institutions, determine the mechanisms of organizing meetings, and study the aspects of coordination and integration. Issues of common interest were also tackled in a manner that would fulfill the aspirations of the leaders of the GCC countries towards the improvement of the level of higher education. Moreover, the meeting focused on the programs of the five-year plans of the secretariats of the committees, as well as academic accreditation, distance education and e-learning, and methods of the improvement of the committees' work.

Dr. Ali Al-Matrifi expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, represented by the Secretary General, His Excellency Dr. Abdul-Latif Al-Ziani; the Director of the Education Department, Dr. Muhammad Al-Mahri; and the Head of the Department of Cooperation and Scientific Research, Mr. Saad bin Muhammad Al-Zaghibi, for their keenness, attention, follow-up and support of the committees specializing in the field of higher education. He also appreciated the role of the university, represented by the Deanship of Admission and Registration, in hosting the meeting, and expressed his thanks for the warm hospitality and kind reception.

The Dean of the College of Education and the Trustee of the Committee of the Deans of the Colleges of Education in the GCC countries praised the support given by His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah Omar Bafail, to the College of Education, and his constant follow-up of the work of the secretariat.

It is worth mentioning that the College of Education will host the 15th meeting for the GCC Joint Work Committees concerned with higher education, which will be held in September, 2020.