PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Ameen Dabwan Qaed in Social Work

Mr. Ameen Dabwan Hassan Qaed ‎ was awarded a PhD degree in Social Work‎ (the first PhD awarded by the university in Social Work) for his dissertation titled: Evaluation of Social Work Practitioners’ Efforts in Achieving Profession’s ‎Recognition‎, which was submitted to the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

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The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

The study aimed to evaluate the efforts of social work practitioners in the Capital Secretariat (Sana’a) to achieve professional recognition, through three main dimensions:

1. Developing the professional preparation of social workers, by:
   • Strengthening and institutionalizing the academic foundations of social work
   • Enhancing the scientific and practical knowledge base of the profession
   • Establishing academic programmes and specialized tracks in social work
   • Supporting education and training infrastructure for social work institutions
   • Building partnerships and promoting collaboration with social work education and other relevant institutions locally and internationally
2. Enhancing the professional legitimacy of social work, through:
   • Developing the legislative and regulatory framework governing the profession
   • Creating new professional roles for social workers within community institutions
   • Expanding job opportunities for qualified social work professionals
3. Improving public perception of the social work profession, by:
   • Promoting and marketing the profession
   • Presenting social work in a positive and credible manner
   • Strengthening ethical and professional commitment among practitioners

The study yielded several key findings summarized as follows:

• The overall level of social work practitioners’ efforts to achieve professional recognition was generally weak.
• The dimension of improving public perception ranked first, with a moderate
• The dimension of developing professional preparation ranked second, with a weak
• The dimension of enhancing professional legitimacy came third, also with a weak

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended the following:

• Developing a comprehensive proposal to activate, integrate, and unify the efforts of social work practitioners toward achieving professional recognition.
• Incorporating the realities of academic, institutional, and societal recognition of the profession into the curricula of social work departments in Yemeni universities.
• Clearly defining the responsibilities of social work practitioners under each dimension required for professional recognition, and encouraging them to perform these responsibilities within their community institutions.
• Strengthening coordination and integration among practitioners’ efforts to achieve academic, institutional, and societal recognition, including:
  • Advancing professional preparation
  • Enhancing professional legitimacy
  • Improving public perception of the profession
• Adopting a collective institutional approach to transition from individual to coordinated organizational efforts, and establishing essential partnerships with relevant stakeholders.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.