Higher Education Strategic Planning

Abstract

University education institutions play a central role in the progress and development of nations, due to their education aimed at preparing and training human energies that lead to social and economic development, and scientific research aimed at exploring the depths of knowledge and finding solutions to renewable needs, and serving the community aimed at meeting its requirements on the basis of Partnership with its institutions and individuals. As a result of the challenges faced by university education institutions during the previous decade in their internal and external environment, such as globalization, the information and communications revolution and the knowledge revolution, and in response to urgent challenges such as lack of financial support, rapid technical progress, and population changes, and the introduction of academic programs offered in universities, many universities turned to use Strategic planning to achieve beneficial strategic changes to accommodate and adapt to a rapidly changing environment. These challenges impose on university education to adapt itself develop its curricula and modify its methods according to it, and controlling universities in this way must have a scientific method and approach based on methods, entrances, methods, projection, prediction and others, that thought is strategic planning. whose task is not easy; Because under changing conditions and intertwined circumstances in place and time, it works in an atmosphere characterized by conflicts, resistances, tensions and uncertainty, and this led to the multiplicity of parties involved in the strategic planning process, which can be summarized in three: inputs - processes - outputs, and education planning is a rational process aimed at Specific social goals, and uses special means to achieve the goals, which is directed action that takes into account the available possibilities, and works to use them in the best use (1). As strategic planning has become the comprehensive view of all education problems, it is the primary tool and means of development, and it has a role in the growth of the economy and social life, as well as its role in the growth of culture and civilization in general. Therefore, countries resort to it; To search for guidance and solutions to the economic, political and social problems it faces (2). Strategic planning represents a next stage for the two quantitative and qualitative stages of the development of planning thought, which is planning based on calculating the changing environmental conditions and the needs of the labor market, taking into account the quality of society and life in it in the future. Its steps include: analyzing the elements of the internal and external surrounding environment, analyzing and determining the necessary resources (aids - facilities...etc), analyzing competitive opportunities, analyzing the sources of strength and weakness of the institution, formulating goals (currently and in the future) (3), and through Using the scientific method can develop plans and strategies, find alternatives to make decisions, solve new problems, analyze processes and quantitative and qualitative research methods (4).