Council's Committees

Introduction:
The Geological Council decided in its second meeting on 04/11/2017 to form the permanent technical committees of the Council, through which the Council will conduct its work, and through which it seeks to achieve its objectives and mission, namely four committees (1) Registration Committee, 2) Academic Committee, 3) Professional and Dispute Committee, 4) Committee for Training, Information and External Relations. The tasks of these committees include the development of general guidelines, preparing the plans of the Council’s session and the annual plan, as well as following up and evaluating the plans through approving performance reports for the secretariats and departments of the Council through approving the policies and regulations within the framework of achieving the strategic objectives of the Council. The technical committees of the General Secretariat also provide consultative and planning support and provide the intellectual environment to support decision making by providing the Geological Council with all modern information technology means to build a solid and comprehensive database that provides reliable information to facilitate the planning process and accuracy of decision making and thus the quality of training and services provided. Each Committee has set its frame work, plans and mechanisms for the implementation of plans to achieve the objectives of the composition of the Committee concerned.

1. Registration Committee:
The Registration Committee’s work is based on setting the frameworks, regulations and programs that are applied within the framework of the organization as well as development of the profession of geology, monitoring of its practice optimally and to guide the competent authorities in the geological work, rationalization, preparation, training and classification of the workforce in geological sectors and fields. That shall not be achieved unless geologists are classified and counted, and registers and databases are made for them.

Tasks & Functions of the Registration Committee:
1. Prepare regulations and procedures for the registration of Geologists at the Council and make records for geologists.
2. Set plans and mechanisms that ensure the smooth registration of geologists and take advantage of the technical development and information to serve it.
3. Classification and registration of geologists according to the categories of geological hierarchy stipulated in the Council.
4. Determine the scientific and professional standard required for each category to enable it be belonged the profession and assume professional responsibility.
5 - Registration in the records and the granting of titles to practice the profession and work performance among the members of the geological team in perfect harmony and healthy atmosphere.
6. Examine any papers submitted for registration and then recommend the applicant according to the geological hierarchy.

2. Academic Committee:
The Academic Committee’s work is based on the council's Act, which stipulates that the curricula, level of qualification and training in the geological colleges meet the required standard in order to maintain a high standard of geologists, to contribute with the competent authorities in the development of public policies,

Tasks and Functions of the Committee:
1- Coordinate closely with the academic committees in the geological education institutions and work to strengthen their role and develop programs and mechanisms for coordination among them to enable them to achieve their objectives in full.
2- To establish the principles and criteria for the recognition of academic programs in geological education institutions such as colleges, departments and technical institutes in accordance with international standards.
3- Evaluation and recognition of academic programs in geological education institutions according to the conditions of recognition approved by the Council.
4- Develop the necessary plans to follow the approved and recognized programs of the Geological Council.
5- Formation of specialized committees to evaluate the various geological programs and submit recommendations to the Council for the final approval.
6- Holding symposiums, workshops and seminars to introduce and develop evaluation criteria.
7- Give an opinion on what is presented to it by the Committee for Studying Applications emanating from the Council of Higher Education on requests for the establishment of new higher education institutions, amendment of a license or introduction of new programs and submit recommendations to the National Geological Council.
8- Review the regulations governing academic affairs in higher education institutions, including the conditions for appointment to academic posts and the development of academic programs and submit their recommendations to the Council in the event of an amendment.
9. Advise and express opinions on the proposals submitted to them by the Secretariat regarding the admission principles and conditions of each institution, in accordance with the disciplines and admission capacity of the institution, which organizes the enrolment process of the students applying to these institutions as well as the academic regulations governing them.
10- Give an opinion on the requests of institutions of higher education to establish their own training centers.
11. Give an opinion on the cooperation agreements or memorandums of understanding concluded between the institutions of higher education and others with regard to geo sciences and to submit their recommendations to the Council.
12. Give an opinion on the reports of the competent administration on new institutions regarding fulfillment of academic elements by the newly established institutions and programs through the necessary field visits to check the progress of academic work immediately after the academic activity until the graduation of the first batch of students in the disciplines concerned, especially the recent institutions.
13. Review the annual reports issued by the Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training on the performance of institutions of higher education in terms of institution and programs and submit their recommendations to the Council.
14. Consider the topics presented by the Secretary-General of the relevant Higher Education Council.

3- Professional and Dispute Committee:
The Committee was formed to develop and implement general frameworks and programs to protect the public against unsafe, immoral or inappropriate practices, as well as to monitor the performance of practitioners of the geology profession in Sudan in order to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations in the relevant sectors of geological work.

Professional tasks and Functions:
1- Evaluation of scientific and professional associations according to the methods of evaluation and criteria approved by the Council.
2- To enact regulations to protect the profession and its technicians.
3- Setting the rules of professional conduct in a way that preserves the dignity of the profession and the rights and respect of the professional, development of the country’s resources, enabling citizen to invest his funds and maintaining his facilities.
4- Setting the necessary regulations for organizing and developing the profession of geology and monitoring its practice.
5- Monitor the practice of the profession and address the related problems.
6- Formation of committees to monitor the practice of geological work in the states and the establishment of regulations and guidelines necessary for the performance of its work.
7- Holding symposiums, seminars and workshops to develop the profession of geology.

Tasks and Responsibilities of Disputes Committee:
1- The purpose of establishing the Peace and Dispute Settlement Committee is to provide an opportunity for geologists and citizens to resolve disputes that arise between them or to claim their rights in order to resolve the dispute with the consent of its parties away from judicial disputes outside the courts.
2- This Committee is not considered a judicial body and has not been given the jurisdiction to rule disputes brought before it, but rather the law concerns it with conciliation and arbitration among citizens.
3- The Committee shall hold its sessions of conciliation and arbitration between the litigant parties in public, in the presence of a majority of its members. The Chairperson or member of the Committee with a personal interest in the subject of the dispute shall not participate in the dispute.
4- End the dispute by mutual agreement and reconciliation between the parties to the dispute.
5- Termination of the dispute by arbitration when the parties to the dispute agree to resolve the dispute by arbitration. The members of the committee shall have jurisdiction over the arbitrators.
6- The Reconciliation and Dispute Settlement Committee has no legal jurisdiction to proceed with the implementation of its solutions.

4- Training, Information and External Relations Committee:
The committee works in several areas: training, media and external relations. The committee has distributed its members to work teams covering the different themes: the training team, the media team and the external relations team. The committee in whole is responsible for setting training programs and developing policies for registrants in the Geological Council, and in particular to take care of new graduates of universities and different geological programs.

Tasks and Functions:
In some detail, the tasks and functions of the Commission can be summarized in the development of the necessary policies for the following:
1. Training the workers in the geological sector in order to upgrade their mental perceptions and their scientific and practical capabilities.
2. Listing major geological projects at the level of Sudan as the most important opportunities for training graduates of all grades of geological hierarchy.
3. Communicate and interact with similar regional and international bodies and benefit from their experience in this regard.
4. Working to activate the participation of specialized associations in the training process.
5. Sponsoring and supporting activities that discuss training issues and highlighting the importance of mandatory training and its role in qualifying graduates.
6. Meetings with official bodies and geological institutions to support and sponsor the training of geological hierarchy groups.
7. Reflecting the activity of the Council for the geological sector and its professional and categorical institutions by all media.
8. Stating the Council's legal rights for all and creating channels of external communication locally, regionally and globally with similar professional institutions to enrich the profession and to exchange knowledge and recognition.
9. Informing about the activities and objectives of the Geological Council.
10. Issuing pages, bulletins, magazines, as well as issuing a guidebook for the council and membership of the committee.
11. Proposing, preparing and setting up programs to develop knowledge and skills potentials in the field of education and geological work that comply with international standards and internal and external accreditation requirements.