President Bashar al-Assad issued Decree no. 213 for 2014 on establishing new faculties at the universities of Damascus, Tishreen, al-Baath and Hama.

An Economy faculty will be opened in the city of Sweida and will be affiliated to Damascus University.

A second Pharmacy faculty will be opened in Tartous city, so as to be affiliated to Lattakia-based Tishreen Univeristy.

Homs-based al-Baath University will have new faculties of Dentistry and Economy, while Hama University will have new faculties of Pharmacy and Sciences, with the latter to be opened in Misyaf city.

Besides the aforementioned four universities, there are also Aleppo University and al-Furat University, which is based in Deir Ezzor.

Minister of Higher Education Dr. Malek Mohammad Ali considered, in a press statement, that the decree comes in the context of a balanced plan to open university faculties in all Syrian cities and provinces for increasing the chances of university enrollment.

The establishment of universities and faculties in the cities indicates the government’s priorities in providing education for all Syrians, the minister said, adding that it proves its immense efforts to ensure that the basic requirements of an educational process are met.

The minister lauded the inauguration of new faculties as he said it will have a direct positive bearing on the development process in the social, economic and cultural domains, and will create new job opportunities for Syrians in all provinces