Aiming at reformation in the process of higher education in the Kurdistan Region’s private sector and for raising the quality of education, the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research issued new instructions concerning the admission of students in the region’s private-sector universities and institutes. Accordingly, the admission scores were raised and the numbers of allocated seats for the next academic year have been reduced.
Abbas Akram, the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s spokesman said: “Our ministry seriously works to observe and raise the quality of education and teaching within the region’s private-sector universities and institutes. Thus, after a supreme committee prepared the instructions, taking into consideration the quality of education and teaching, on Wednesday August 26, 2015, Dr. Yusuf Goran, the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research signed instructions number (2) which is related to admission into private sector universities and institutes in the Kurdistan region.”
He also said: “The instructions include key points, namely students whose scores are higher than %55 can enter the competition over the allocated seats. While in the previous academic years this score was lower and students with the score of %50 could enter the competitions.”
“In the instructions allocated seats in the private universities have been decreased widely, for example in the departments of (Business Administration, Accounting, Finance and Banking, Management of Health and Legal Institutions , the number of the seats ,from 200 seats, were decreased into 150 seats. Allocated seats in the departments of Law and the International Relations, from 160 seats were, decreased into 120. Similarly, in the engineering departments 10 seats were decreased, accordingly 70 education seats are allocated for the departments of Civil Engineering, Oil Engineering, and IT Engineering. In the other departments, the numbers of allocated seats are mostly decreased as well,” the spokesman added.
He also pointed out that in some departments total scores for admission into the private sector colleges are raised, for example in the department of Law the admission score ,from %60, were raised to %65. In the departments of Civil Engineering and Architectural Engineering the total admission score from %80 were raised to %85.
“Similarly, in the departments of Oil Engineering, IT Engineering , and Communications Engineering the admission score from %75 were raised to %80; and the admission score in Environment Engineering Department from %70 were raised to %75,” the spokesman confirmed.
He stated that the aim of raising the total number for admission into the private universities and decreasing the number of the seats are for making reformation in this sector and raising the quality of education and teaching.
Regarding the prices of education in the private institutes and universities, the ministry’s spokesman confirmed the prices will not be increased, and the ministry of higher education and scientific research sent an official document to all private universities that to take the region’s current bad economic conditions into consideration and not increase their prices, indicating that the universities positively responded to the ministry’s demand.
“We addressed all the private universities and institutions to abide by the new instructions and start with the processes of distributing admission forms and student’s guide booklets among willing applicants.