Dr. Yusuf Goran, the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on the occasion of starting the New Academic Year of (2015-2016), in a message congratulated all lecturers, students and employees of the ministry.
The following is the full text of the message:
Dear Lecturers,
Students, and
Employees
On the occasion of starting the New Academic Year of (2015-2016) I congratulate all of you for your return to the academic centers and education as well as science and Knowledge halls. I hope your embracing for the new academic year will be in a way that since today through your pens and smart thinking to step forward for furthering the standards of our universities and institutes. We also in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research will do our best to support you to serve the parade of science and knowledge in Kurdistan.
Distinguished Lecturers and Students
As we all know that the Kurdistan Region is passing through a special political, economic, and security situation. At one side our region has been facing a compelled financial crisis, and on the other hand it is facing the ISIL terrorist organization, and the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga Forces are defending the sacred soil of Kurdistan Region in front lines across more than 1200 kilometers. Taking this special condition of Kurdistan region into consideration, you professors and students should go towards the academic centers like Peshmergas more than ever, and develop the science and development, because while the Peshmerga forces are defending our society from the black hands of the terrorists, similarly we in the academic centers should defend the development of our society through the weapon of science. Thus, last year despite the special condition of Kurdistan, the process of reformation and promoting the higher education has been ongoing, and we have accomplished several vital projects, especially in aspects of developing scientific research, an overall revision on the process of quality assurance and trust-giving, enlarging the international ties, and making the higher education sector closer to the international academic standards.
Also in the current academic year our works are in the direction of keeping the education quality at our universities, accordingly our full concentration is on reinforcing the process of quality assurance and trust-giving, developing curriculums, and reducing the gap between the market needs and the content of education curriculums.
Reverend Professors, Dear Students
The higher education sector and scientific research generally, and university education in particular are regarded as the pioneer for developing other aspects of the society in terms of science, invention, social and political development, thus those countries which have an advanced system of higher education and scientific research have become the owner of strong economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems, since the system of higher education and the universities have active roles in developing the society. From this perspective, and from feeling with responsibility towards our nation, and as a faith towards the blood of thousands of martyrs who offered their blood for safeguarding the achievements of our people, meanwhile as a scientific and academic duty, we have made several steps for preparing a cultivated generation with modern science and information.
In all our works and projects that are now in the implementation stage, we emphasized on the raising the quality of education. Our steps are in the direction of quality assurance in the academic centers, therefore, we deem it necessary to ask the Presidency of the KRG Council of Ministers and the KRG Ministry of Finance to cooperate us in allocating needed budgets for current needs of the universities, especially those needs which are related to the student’s affaires.
Finally, we say: In spite of that the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research have made key steps in the process of higher education’s reformation, but more works are still needed, therefore, in these projects we rely on professors, students, and staff of our universities. Meanwhile we depend on abilities, support and aid of international partners for succeeding this process, since currently the higher education in Kurdistan region is in front of big questions, especially the position of our universities on the global academic map , mingling with the international academic standards, activation and effectiveness of the scientific research’s productions, the outcomes of education and training processes at Kurdistan region universities, roles and opinions of the universities in resolving those issues which are facing the Kurdistan Region, thus I ask you to welcome the new academic year with the sole of responsibility and fully devote yourselves for it. At the same time, I ask the professors to devote all their capabilities in teaching the students and create the sole of responsibility among them, since our future is on their hands. We hope the new academic year to be the year of achieving the academic dreams and ambitions, and at the end of this academic year to gain a lot of scientific achievements for our people.
Dr. Yusuf Goran
The KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
October 1st, 2015.