As “integrated work” is seen by the local community institutions as one of the foundations for the success of developmental projects, all world developmental institutions strive to embrace this concept. To that end, the university held, in partnership with Family Affairs Council, a scientific forum under the theme “family and universities’ affairs council: unity of goal and integration of roles”.
The forum is primarily intended to be a platform for discussing the council’s strategies to bridge the gap between universities and the council to undertake their roles toward families in Saudi Arabia.
The forum was launched by a speech for the vice-rector, Prof. Musallam Al-Dosari, who pointed out the purpose of this forum is to achieve the requirements of developmental plans, commending the initiative taken, particularly by the Family Affairs Council to fulfill the intended goals.
A speech was also delivered by the honorary guest, Princess Nora Al-Saud, chairman of Women Committee for Social Development in Riyadh, who said that Saudi family has always received a great deal of attention from the leaders of this country. That is manifested through the rules and regulations, established institutions and initiatives launched to build up families and inculcate among them patriotism. She undoubtedly missed the decisive role played by universities in the process of development.
The forum comprised three primary topics:
Topic one: integration of roles and responsibilities which focus on the roles and responsibilities of universities and how they are integrated with the goals of Family Affairs Council.
Topic two: empowerment and partnership which highlights the strategic importance of family and the mutual role between universities and Family Affairs Council to come up with solutions to challenges facing family and society.
Topic three: academia which addresses the scientific majors that serve the community needs.
All three topics were discussed through 3 sessions featuring 11 topics presented by 15 researchers. These sessions were concluded with several recommendations as follow:
Propose a mechanism to sign further agreements.
Consolidate scientific partnerships in identifying research needs for family matters to help universities in achieving their goals of serving the community, research and academia.
Conduct further applied research on digital literacy and develop elderly’s digital skills
Family should inculcate among its members the morals and values necessary for using internet.
Highlight the role of Saudi Arabia regionally and worldwide in the field of family affairs.
Coordinate with non-profit public and private commissions to serve family.
Universities should open up to their local communities, particularly family as an essential component for the educational process.
Invite universities to conduct initiatives related to family and childhood.
Universities should train families virtually on modern education technologies.
Invite universities to establish research on the issue of challenges facing Saudi families.
Create an educational guide for modern families on the challenges of globalization and its impact on next generations.