In the framework of the project “APPRAIS: governance, quality, accountability: a Piloting Reform Process in Kurdistan Region of Iraq”, which is related to adopting Bologna Process, the Convention Center of the University of Duhok hosted the 4th partnership meeting, under the patronage of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) and the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED), bringing together all the universities who are parts of this project. The universities from Kurdistan Region took part at this meeting were: University of Duhok, University of Zakho, University of Garmian, University of Charmo, University of Sulaimani, University of Slahaddin-Erbil, University of Halabja, and Duhok Polytechnic University, alongside the European universities of Oslo\Norway, Murcia\Spain, and Pisa\Italy.

This partnership meeting took place on two days, on June 20-21, 2023. The main objective of this meeting was to recall what has been done in the past 8 months, update the transversal work of work packages 6, 7 and 8, share challenges, criticalities and positive achievements, assess the progress of the project, workload, resources and effectiveness of the management (what works and what does not), and plan and detail the coming activities of the last 7 months. Sharing all these incomes and updates on the project leads to better implementation for the rest of the activities.

At first, the Director General and Head of Apparatus of Supervision of Quality Assurance and accreditation at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Affairs at KRG, Mr. Mohammed Hussein Ahmed, stated, through an online zoom interaction, that the ministry is highly proud of what has been achieved so far during the project’s implementation by the universities in Kurdistan Region. And it hopes that the last 7 months would be passed at the same pace. The UNIMED Project Manager and APPRAIS Project Coordinator, Silvia Marchionne, who led the meeting, announced: “We hold regular meetings every 6-8 months on average to exchange knowledge on where we are, what is missing and what will be done next. So, we met today as the 4th partnership meeting; and this is going to be the last meeting before the project is done and the final conference.”

Many topics were planned to be discussed in this meeting, including university reform, strategic planning, TOT experiences and sustainability, Bologna process implementation, quality assurance, ESG implementation in KR universities (Environmental, Social and Governance is an approach to investing that recommends taking environmental, social and governance issues into account while deciding which companies to invest in), administrative and financial aspects, student services, evaluation reports, capacity building impact, sustainability actions, and the application of the Bologna process in KR universities. The purpose of the discussions was to exchange actions taken and improve project implementation. These topics were brought up on the two days of meeting. At the second day, the meeting was concluded by a cultural visit to Amadiya Sub-district where the delegations of all the universities were in.

Regarding strategic plans, Dr. Rund Hammoudi, the International Relations Office Head at the UOD, mentioned that policy is needed in doing things. Policy is needed regarding quality assurance. And standardized procedures are needed in forming programs in the UOD. “We also need guiding. Guidelines are required regarding students, exams, staff and so on. These guidelines should be available publicly so that anyone can reach them in starting anything. We need to update our learning resources such as our labs, libraries, and any facility in the university; this definitely will affect the quality of learning. Continuous capacity building of our staff is needed about teaching methodology and participation. Participation is really important that is affects quality, such as participating in workshops, conferences, and etc.” She added.

The APPRAIS Project is driven by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG). It is co-funded by the Erasmus Plus of the European Union. Its primary objective is to enhance the higher education system in the region. To achieve this, the MOHESR KRG has actively encouraged Iraqi universities to adopt the European higher education model, specifically by supporting the implementation of the Bologna process. The APPRAIS Project aims to improve higher education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It supports the rebuilding of governance systems, focusing on strategic planning, quality assurance, and Bologna Process implementation. The project started in January 2021 and will conclude in January 2024, with 7 months remaining. Activities include needs assessment, roadmap development, capacity building, credit recognition, and strategic planning. The project's goal is to enhance the quality of higher education through various workshops, trainings, meetings, and reports.

THE UNIVERSITY OF DUHOK

The University of Duhok (UOD) is a public university in the city of Duhok city, which is about 150 km northwest of Erbil (Arbil, Hewlér), the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region (KRI). The city is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains. The university campus is a large green area in the city's west side that provides an exciting view of the city and surrounding nature. UOD was founded in October 1992 with only two colleges to meet the region's growing demand for graduate professionals. Today, the UOD has a 19-college with 67 departments, nearly 24000 students, and over 4000 academic and administrative staff. Students thrive in one of the best regional academic communities, studying in programs such as Agriculture, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Architecture, Engineering, Humanities, Linguistics, Basic Education, and Economics as well as Spatial Planning. UOD has strong engagement through its International Relations with many Higher Education institutions and centres of excellence worldwide, such as Purdue University, Indiana University (IU), New York University (NYU), The University of Noter Dame (ND), The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA), BridgeWater State University in the USA, The University of Warsaw - Poland, The University of Glasgow - Scotland, The University of Twente - The Netherlands, Leipzig University, LLC University, University of Oldenburg, The University of Vechta, Europa-Universität Flensburg, TU Dortmund university, THM Giessen University in Germany, The University of Tuscia, The university of Pavia, Sapienza Università di Roma in Italy, The University of Deusto, The University of Barcelona, The University of Granada (UGR) in Spain, Lund University - Sweden, The University of Sussex in the UK, Tampere University - Finland, and so many more. The University of Duhok is an active member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), The UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union, and The Association of Arab Universities (AARU).

UOD Media; July 8, 2023

Fatima Mahmood

Photo Credits: mohammed Abdulkareem