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Resignation of Damascus University Classification Office Director in Protest Against Its Intrusion
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The intrusion of Damascus University's Classification Office for filming a television series demonstrates a clear disregard for the importance of educational institutions and their role in building st
Dr. Marwan Al-Raei, Director of the Damascus University Classification Office, submitted his resignation from his position in protest against the intrusion into his office and the breaking of its lock to film scenes from a television series titled "Under Seventh Earth," disregarding the privacy of the location and its academic importance.
The resignation text addressed to the President of Damascus University and the member of the University Administration Committee requested relief from his duties "due to the breaking of the Classification Office lock located within the Rida Said building by the building recipient, Mr. Ahmad Daham, under the pretext of filming a television series."
Al-Raei indicated in his request that he had previously informed officials not to open the office "due to the presence of data specific to the university related to Damascus University classification and accreditation, in addition to the presence of examination papers, some personal belongings, and custodial items."
The resigning Classification Office Director explained that he had emphasized to the concerned official on Thursday that the office should not be opened without his presence. At that time, he was at the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Complex at the university around 3:30 PM, and there was no possibility to return to the university at that time due to traffic congestion.
Al-Raei pointed out that "emptying the Classification Office, which contains all university data related to directorates and faculties, in addition to the Classification Office stamp used in external correspondence, under the pretext of filming a television series, is unacceptable because the university is more important than the series, regardless of the reason."
He requested the formation of a legal committee to open the office and return the examination papers in front of the committee, as well as return personal belongings and custodial items including "a router, landline phone, ignition lamp for laser operation testing, and two flash drives, the most important of which contains 65 recordings of Zoom interviews related to university classification and accreditation."
Dr. Marwan Al-Raei commented on his Facebook page saying: "When I have to resign from my duties as Director of the Damascus University Classification Office because of a television series called Under Seventh Earth, due to the intrusion into the Classification Office and breaking the lock to film the series within the office that contains more than 157,550 pieces of university data and information, in addition to examination papers whose results are awaited by university students."
He added in his post: "It becomes clear that more than a year and a half of work for the sake of the university goes without meaning, and that filming a scene from a television series is more important than the university's classification, accreditation, and recognition of its graduates' certificates."
This incident comes at a time when educational institutions in Syria face significant challenges related to international recognition of their certificates and the accreditation of their academic programs, in the absence of a clear educational strategy from the Ministry of Higher Education of the Syrian interim caretaker government.
