On Sunday morning, January 21, 2024, the fourth online meeting of the Council of Deans was held under the chairmanship of the Rector of the University, Prof. Al-Hadi Adam Muhammad Ibrahim, with the participation of his deputy, Prof. Khaled Abdel Rahman Al-Sayed, the ViceRector of the University: Dr. Ali Muhammad Ali, the Principle of the university: the Secretary for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sana Othman Yaqoub, and her deputy, Dr. Kamal Muhammad Othman, as well as the deans of colleges and specialized deanships.
At the beginning of the meeting, the directives of the previous online meeting of October 17, 2023, were stated by the Deputy Secretary for Scientific Affairs.
During the meeting, the Council of Deans followed up the position of the final batches in the medical and applied colleges through reports read by the deans of the faculties. The meeting praised the efforts of the deans and the universities’ senior administration in overcoming the various obstacles in reaching the geographical map for the spread of the students and professors after the eruption of war.
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Omar Al-Jili, reviewed the exams of the fifth-year students, batch 20, and the substitute exams for the 19th batch in the internal and external centers, and a vote of thanks was presented from the meeting to the Rector of the University and the Secretary of Scientific Affairs for the efforts exerted in this context. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Dalia Mahmoud, presented a report on the final graduation projects held last November.
The meeting also recommended the necessity for collective coordination between faculties wishing to hold their exams in centers inside and outside Sudan through the Secretariat of Scientific Affairs and the Director of the University's Foreign Relations Department, Dr. Tariq AlNour Huda. The meeting emphasized the need to providing assistance in accordance with the priorities and available capacities/ facilities.
The Vice-Rector of the University, Prof. Khaled Abdel Rahman, also briefed the meeting on the work and efforts of the Distance Education Committee of the College of Graduate Studies and the executive regulations concerned. The meeting stressed the need for the College of Graduate Studies to follow up and actively participate in the work of the committee in the future.
Regarding the issuance of graduate certificates and their various statements, the meeting reassured the progress of the arrangements and the proposed level of readiness in preparations for the start of the service as soon as the network connection with the banks is completed to enable service seekers/ candidates to pay tuition fees. Moreover, the Secretary of Scientific Affairs and her deputy indicated that the preparation of paper certificates has been completed, signatures and seals have been approved . Ensuring the authenticity of the certificates of various institutions, a center will be opened at the Red Sea University in Port Sudan to provide these services. The meeting was also briefed on the progress of distance learning and related arrangements for the students of the applied, medical, and humanitarian faculties, recommending coordination with the universities with which the university collaborates in safe areas and centers outside Sudan with regard to practical academic activities.
The Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry informed that the university examinations for graduates will be held on February 10, 2024, and the learning process for all batches will start at the beginning of the same month. The council recommended in its meeting to conduct the final exams of the batches and resume studies before Ramadan.
At the end of the meeting, the rector of the university thanked the members affirming the great efforts exerted in hard times. He pointed out that the university will continue in the trends of serving students and will remain proactive in introducing a model for Sudanese universities. He stated that the university is in the process of signing a major partnership with an academic center in the State of Qatar that will see the light in the future, and this partnership will open a new horizon to expand the university's services to Sudanese and non-Sudanese students.