Kinan Bahhnasi: A promising academic

Kinan Afif Bahnassi was born in Damascus, Syria. An alumnus of Northeastern University's College of Engineering, Boston, his collegiate studies had been centered upon a dual concentration in Information Systems and Business Management. The qualitative and quantitative proficiencies that Kinan had gained within these disciplines at Northeastern University had been complemented by a global reach. As a Candidate for a PhD in Management Information Systems Boston, he is focusing on Customer Knowledge Management, which is the impact of knowledge management in the corporate customer relationships. Now the national project director to the Labor Market Database project for the UNDP in Syria, and a lecturer at the University of Kalamoon, he speaks to FW: Magazine about his decision to return to Syria, the project he has been asked to head, and the relationship between himself, his father, and his country.   

What brought you back home? 

I believe that life is about choices, and decisions need to be made. Going back home wasn't easy, it was actually one of the most difficult decisions I made in my life, I had always been afraid of going back to the unknown, especially after going through an American education that made me feel so far from the reality of my country. One thing in life I couldn't turn my face away from was my family. I believed that my family held the highest priority. I was willing to give away all the success and comfort I had in US to be close to the people that have always been there for me to support, protect, and inspire.

My father suggested teaching in the university as a career, especially as there were a number of private universities starting up back then. I chose the University of Kalamoon, as it was the first and one of the fastest growing universities. After a few months of being a faculty member at UOK, I started realizing how much change is needed in the mindset of the youth in this country, I felt there are many things I can do to be part of making this change happen, although I knew that it would be difficult, but at the same time I believed it was possible. I felt so responsible towards my students, especially after receiving so much appreciation and gratitude.

Your father is an archeologist and a historian, and you are an Information System Management specialist. I guess in this case, the apple fell quite far from the tree.

There isn't much difference between my father and I. We are both teachers following their passions towards the same direction by making change happen, but we just live in different generations. My father is representing a generation that wanted to prove the Arabic cultural identification throughout the history, at a time where Syria revolted against foreign mandates looking for the truth of its Arabic cultural identity.

However, my generation is representing the move from proving the Arabic cultural identity to enhancing this identity in a global cultural context, by utilizing technology, knowledge and promoting innovation to build a better future, and to overcome all the current economic development challenges.

There is something I have to admit; my mother and father have always been the source of inspiration and optimism in my life.

Can you talk about the project you are directing?

The project is carried out in collaboration between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the UNDP. The project consists of establishing a labor market database for setting up comprehensive labor and employment policies in Syria. Establishing a labor market database is essential for tracking and analyzing the labor economy of a country. It is also used in determining future workforce training needs, identifying the availability of labor, ascertaining the prevailing wage rates, and exploring potential markets. The study of a labor market generally has two different outputs: a household survey that will examine the supply side of the labor market, and an enterprise survey that will examine the demand side of the labor market, in addition to that a third study will assess the educational output over the next five years.  

You are teaching at the University of Kalamoon, one of the private universities. Do you think high enrollment fees will make the university meet its objectives to make families invest in their children?  

Private universities in Syria, and particularly UOK, have been playing a very important role in improving the education system in the country, as it aims at meeting the growing demand for higher education and to create skilled manpower for the economic development of the country. Many Syrian families feel that investing in higher education is one of the best efforts towards long-term economic and social well being of their children. This investment has been going on for a long time even prior the establishment of private universities in Syria, because in the past, when some children didn't have access to higher education at home, the children were sent out to neighboring countries or even overseas at considerable cost to the family.

Families started to realize the value and facilities provided by the private universities when they noticed smaller learning environments, the different languages taught there, the availability of applied learning and the use of the most updated and internationally recognized materials, textbooks and case studies. I believe providing such educational standards will justify the financial cost that has been invested in those children.  

Where do you place the level of education in private universities here in Syria?  

Private universities in Syria are still in the introduction phase, and they still need more experience and time to reach the maturity level. However, we have noticed that private university graduates have less time spent on job searches, and they are obtaining better job opportunities than other university graduates. This would be an indicator of higher entrance rates to the job market.    

Private universities enroll students with lower grades than public ones, which only go for outstanding students. Is this indicative of anything?  

I don't believe that grade is the only factor that needs to be considered in university admission. Universities might look at more than an applicant's academic ability. This could include aptitude tests to find more about the students' abilities than their school qualifications, and it raises the prospect of weighing applications in favor of youngsters from deprived areas. It could also mean quota systems, such as used in the United States, to deliberately achieve a more socially balanced intake of students.  

What do you think of the future of young Syrian university graduates?  

Although I see a very bright future full of economic growth and prosperity in terms of business development and investments, at the same time I believe there should be immediate actions to cope with this economic growth by providing university graduates with the right education and skills so that they are fully and professionally engaged in global society, enterprise and commerce. This will depend on the quality of education that they obtained, which will impact directly on their recruitment prospects, and their capacity to further develop professionally and achieve high living standards.  

What are the skills and the qualifications needed in order to find good work opportunities?

There are some skills that have been internationally recognized as very highly demanded, such as information technology, languages, communications skills, working with others, problem solving, analytical thinking, and the ability to improve performance and learning.  

You are always optimistic about the growth and opening up of the Syrian economy, what is your reading of Syria's current economic conditions?  

It is important to note that the sense of urgency regarding economic reforms in Syria has already been established and taken into actions; this is a positive sign of having the will towards achieving the growth and required investments based on the wealth of available resources and capabilities. Syria has undergone many positive steps and procedures towards reforming economic, foreign trade, and financial policies that revolve around supporting the industrial sector, assisting the development of SMEs, working on eliminating bureaucracy, encouraging exports, combating corruption, automating some of the government agencies, energizing tourism and investment, drawing capitals and using them to fund developmental projects.