Dr. Yusuf Goran, the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said: “The Project of National Ranking of Kurdistan Region Universities is in its final stages, and for the first time in the region we will launch this vital project soon.”
This statement by Dr. Yusuf Goran came during his meeting with presidents and heads of all private universities and Institutes in the Kurdistan region on November 2nd, 2015 at the ministry’s divan in Erbil.
In the meeting, where advisors and general directors of the ministry, Dr. Ibrahim Smo, Head of the Parliamentary Committee for Education and Higher Education, Dr. Rewas Fayaq, Determiner of the Committee, attended several topics were discussed.
At the start of the meeting, Dr. Yusuf Goran said: “In the past period we have perceived a gap between our ministry and the private universities, thus we want to fill this gap and to create a strong connection to serve the higher education sector in Kurdistan.”
“Holding such meetings is important in order to propose new mechanisms for dealing with those issues which are facing us in the ministry, in the private universities and in the Parliamentary Committee for Education and Higher Education,” Dr. Yusuf Goran clarified.
He also appreciated the role and stance by the private universities, stressing: “I fully appreciate your role and stance, since we as the ministry had our own role in drafting the law which you are now working with. This is a clear indication that we were supporters for establishing private universities in Kurdistan. We in the ministry deem that the private universities are completers of the ministry’s deeds and duties, accordingly the private universities could play a key role in enrolling a large number of students and in terms of conducting scientific research, forums and seminars.”
In another part of his speech, Dr. Yusuf Goran pointed out to the agenda of the KRG’s Eighth Cabinet regarding the higher education and said: “We highly prioritize the scientific research either in the level of the ministry or in the level of the universities. We want to make this prioritization to the scientific research a strong culture. Thus we ask the universities to further the scientific research and research centers and to allocate special budgets for the scientific research and research centers.”
Dr. Yusuf Goran emphasized that results of the scientific researches should be me made public via media channels. He addressed the private universities to make more scientific activities, expressing the ministry’s readiness for all sorts of cooperation and facilitation for succeeding their works and removing the obstacles.
Regarding the Project of National Ranking of Kurdistan Region Universities, Dr. Yusuf Goran said: “The working procedure is continuing very well and we have utilized from the global academic standards. Currently the project is in the final stage of data-entry, and for the first time in the region we will announce this project soon. After announcing the results of the project, we in the ministry will treat all the universities according to their rankings.
The KRG minister hoped the private universities to utilize from those methods that which raise their rankings, and prioritize the quality and other aspects of higher education in order to develop the levels of higher education in the Kurdistan Region and raise the rankings of Kurdistan region universities among the global universities.
In another part of the meeting, Dr. Karim Abdul, Advisor to the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the attendees discussed those issues which are facing students, lecturers in the region’s private universities.