In the event, Tuesday Oct 10th at the Saad Abdulla Hall in Erbil under the name of the National ranking…the gateway of Trust and Insurance, for the second year, the national ranking of universities was announced.
The event was under supervision of Quabad Talabani, the KRG Deputy Prime Minister and a great number of ministries, lawmakers, the deputy minister of Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, advisors, the general directors of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Kurdistan Region, countries representatives, universities’ presidents, the universities deans, and departments’ presidents, some speeches were released.
The event was initiated in sending rest in peace stands for the martyrs’ souls, then, Qubad Talabani hailed the role of national ranking of universities and said, “Today is a sensitive and fragile time in which it is vis-à-vis of the Mosul operation. It is all because the great Peshmerga of Kurdistan that we are able to do our tasks and duties with proud. It is been two years that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research stood to announces the ranking in which has made a scientific and healthy environment.” Qubad Talabani also said, “It’s good that this process is not only giving grades and ranking, but the consequence of the qualities and scientific level of the universities, as well. In doing this, any university which has gotten a lower level of ranking, they will be under question mark and have to have a continuing strife.”
The Deputy Prime Minister of KRG in his speech pointed to the significance of evaluation and said, “Not only are the universities but all the other bureaus over the world doing evaluation for their tasks, because evaluation is a significant scientific basic. So, I hope this process is not only done in the higher education sector but in the basic education, schools, and the other sectors as well, because it will the people’s right to know the level of the institute in which he/she is heading to choose.
In the other part of his speech, Qubad Talabani said, “It is significant for us that universities are classified not only based on the academic aspect, but it will important for the students how they deal with the education they have been taught. He hoped that the training courses that will be fulfilled by the Ministries’ Council for the universities and the private sectors will be another way of evaluating the universities.”
The deputy prime minister of KRG hailed the significance of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s reformations and said, “The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s reformation was one of the reformation steps and strategic way of the eighth cabinet of KRG. So, I hail The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry’s staff, and all universities in general.”
Qubad Talabani highlighted the significance of joining the curriculum of studies and human resource to each other and said, “The first step in this process is harmonizing of the studying programs to the human resources needs.” He also said that once upon time the medicine was one of the top requirements and made the students to get a higher grade to be accepted, but know vis-à-vis of medicine importance, we need economic experts and specialized ones. For the other sectors such as agriculture, archeology, we do need the specialized people; however, for the oil and gas we do need those types of people as well. In doing this, it will be the Ministry’s mission to improve the relationship between the curriculums of studies and human resources needs of the market.”
The deputy prime minister of KRG also said that they had to have coordination to avoid the interfering of political parties inside universities and academic centers.
Regarding the importance of accepting students directly at the universities, Qubad Talabani said, “We mentioned the importance of getting rid of acceptance centers of students in the last year. In doing this, I am glad that universities are accepting students 25% based on their choice and interest. So, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research deserves to be hailed. I also hail The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the electronizing systems of the Ministry. I have to point out that we, as government has counted on the technology for our tasks to get done. He also said that biometrical system is not only for removing the illegal and the doubled-salaries, but via this process we can fix the way of giving salaries and make it electronized till we be able to pay the salary in a short period of time because the process of paying salary takes time in which it takes 27 days. In doing this, I encourage the employees to take part in the process of electronization warmly.”
At the end of his speech, Qubad Talabani, the KRG deputy prime minister demanded the universities to make the students their centers of works and said that he was so sure that they had capable students and hoped that the universities never stop on the way of success and get more scientific level of education.
In another part of the event, Dr. Yusuf Goran, The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research released a speech and in the initiation of his speech showed his happiness for the taking part in a great scientific event and hoped that all to encourage and work on the way of improving the path of science in Kurdistan.
Dr. Yusuf Goran mentioned the criterion of national ranking of universities and said, “Last year for the first time we announced this event till the universities grow better. In doing this, I am so glad that this year we have been able to achieve the hope.” Regarding the target of the ranking he said, “The universities’ rankings are based on the following target:”
- Appointing the Standard Scientific Criterion
- Evaluation of the Universities’ Competition
- Transparency
He also explained that for achieving the target, they had counted on the 7 major criterion and 47 minors till the targets were appointed more accurately.
Dr. Yusuf Goran also said, “The national ranking of universities will be the real path of determining the map of reform and higher education in Kurdistan region. So, if we want to count on that information for evaluation, we will be able to determine a successful strategy. In the speech, the minister also said, “For this year of ranking, we took advantage from the Google Apps in which we didn’t have last year.” In this regard, The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research said, “There was created a website for each university till they could enter their data and info. After the entrance of data, now we can say that it has become an important soft copy of the Kurdistan universities in which previously were not available. So, via the system, we can collect all the lectures and their CVs.” He also said that the system is the guarantee of transparency and equality among the universities, because the universities not only can see their data and info, they can see and evaluate the other universities’ info and data, as well. In doing this, we have been able to take advantage from the other universities’ evaluations and critiques. We have worked on them. This makes that the transparency in this process has been protect 100%.”
Dr. Yusuf Goran also said, “The Universities’ ranking has affected on the research movement and publications. For instance, from 1974 up to 2012, the cumulative of the publications’ issues were around 433, but since 2015, it has become 73 and since the national ranking has started, it has become 173 publications. In this regard, 35% has increased and the reason behind of this thrive is the national ranking of universities.” The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research publicized also that the system which has been taken for this year of evaluation was more accurate and detailed comparing to the past year, because this year they have removed numbers of researches. He also said that the international conferences has also thrived in which increased from 188 to 458 conference and workshops.
In another part of his speech, he appointed to the national ranking of universities and their effects upon the sectors of universities and government and he brought some universities as examples.
At the end of his speech he said, “Different from last year which the ranking announcement was based on the alphabetical, but this year it is based on the high ranking.” He announced the result of the ranking based on the following:
Public Universities:
Group First, A
Dr. Yusuf Goran said that this year like the last year none of the university has been able to get A.
So, there is not any university in the A group.
Group Second, B
Soran, Koya, Sulaimani, Erbil Medicine, and Salahaddin
Group Third, C
Zakho, Charmue, Halabja, Raparin, Sulaimani Polytechnic
Group Fourth, D
Garmian, Dhouk Polytechnic, Erbil Polytechnic
Private Universities
First Group, A
Like the public universities, none of the private universities has achieved A.
Second Group, B
Human Development University, American University of Iraq-Sulaimani, Erbil French- Lebanese University, Erbil Ishik
Third Group, C
Cihan-Erbil, Cihan-Sulaimani, Komar
Fourth Group, D
Newroz Dhouk, Erbil, Cihan-Dhouk, Bayan-Erbil, American University of Dhouk, Hayat-Erbil
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research said, “Comparing to the last year, there has been changing in the group in which some universities have jumped forward and some others backward.” In this regard, he said, “I have to thank the staff of national ranking process, because if it was not their strife, we would not be able to see this progress.” He also congratulated the researchers; the one had great researches and said that via this way we can pass our achievements and problems of our society to the world.
At the end of the event, there was a panel regarding the preparation way of ranking and the detail of the ranking was mentioned accurately.