4 Feb 2008

Dear All,

• The Final Report: Please find attach is the final report of the International Conference on Higher Education in Iraq.  (Please note that the second attachment is the Arabic version of the report. Brief Arabic texts below indicate this fact). 

 ·        Who receives it?  This report is being circulated to Iraqi ministries, universities and research institutions as well as to international organisations and institutions interested in HE in Iraq; and also it is circulated to academics in Iraq and all over the world.

 ·        Where to find it?  This report will also be posted on the IHEOC website together with abstracts of the paper presented at the conference. www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq-he/

 ·        Why important?  It is the most significant conference on HE in Iraq for last 20 years.  I like to quote a comment from a colleague who attended the conference, he said in an email:

 ……….. I have attended tens of conferences; believe me when I say that this is one of the most successful. Considering all the difficulties; the fact that a conference of this scale, whether in the number of participants with their different affiliations or the large number of contributions with keynote speakers, resulted after free and open discussions in the set of recommendations directly affecting the future of higher education in Iraq.

 ·        What to do?  This report gives us the opportunities and the guidelines on how we can contribute for the advancement of HE in Iraq.  Please read them and act on its recommendations.

Kindest regards

Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini
Secretary General of IHEOC
www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq-he/

 الأعزاء الكرام
 الســلام عليكم

 أرفق البيان الختامي لـ مؤتمر التعليم العالي في العراق والذي عقد في أربيل 11-13 كانون الاول 2007.

معلومات أضافية عن المؤتمر يمكن الحصول عليها من هذا الموقع:
www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq-he/

 وفقنا الله جميعا لخدمة وطننا العزيز
ولكم جزيل الشكر والامتنان

 د. عباس الحســيني
السـكرتير العام – لجنة التعليم العالي العراقي, لـنـدن

22 January 2008

Dear All,

It is pleasure to write to you to inform you about the recent International Conference on HE in Iraq, which took place on 11 – 13 Dec 2007 in Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq. 

 ·        Great Success:  The conference was constructive, creative, dynamic, effective, hard work, enjoyable and very successful.  It achieved all its objectives.  

 ·        Effective and Importance:  The Conference is regarded, by many observers, as the biggest and the most effective conference on HE in Iraq for the last 20 years.  The conference reemphasis the fact that there are promising and Brilliant Future for HE in Iraq.

 ·        Achievement:  The conference achieved more then expected in all account.  Its aim was to develop an advanced and clear strategy for HE in Iraq and already, the Iraqi government and the Regional Government of Kurdistan pledged to implement the “Recommendations of the Conference” in their current and future HE strategy.

 ·        Mr Masaud Barazani Impressive Opening:  The conference was launched by a welcoming, supportive and encouraging speech by the President of Kurdistan, Mr Masaud Barazani.  Over 900 participants filled the huge Conference Hall to listen also to welcoming speeches from the Mayor of Erbil, the Minister of HE in Kurdistan, the Deputy Minister of HE in Iraq and the Secretary General of IHEOC.

 ·        Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Nori Al-Maliki Strong Support:  The PM met a small team of IHEOC headed by the Secretary General of IHEOC, who travelled to Baghdad after the conference.  The PM congratulated IHEOC and Erbil Committee for their successful work to help HE in Iraq and he pointed to the government strong commitment for the advancement of HE in Iraq.  He asked for a copy of the conference’s recommendations in order to consider their implementation in the current and future strategy of HE in Iraq. 

  ·        Statistics of the Conference: 

• There were 3 plenary sessions with 8 keynote speeches and 27 workshops with over 150 papers.
• Over 400 academics actively contributed in the three days conference but at the opening session there were over 900 participants.
• Contributors were from 23 different countries representing 70 HE and research institutions.
• Papers presented at the conference were as follows:

1.      Modalities of HE:  13 papers

2.      Capacity Building:  14 paper

3.      Curriculum Development:  42 papers

4.      Quality assurance:  31 papers

5.      Higher Education and Research:  14 papers

6.      Universities and the Society:  21 papers

7.      Types of HE (distance, private, etc.):  16 papers

8.      Decentralisation of HE:  8 papers

Please note that the “Conclusions and Recommendations” and the proceeding of the conference will soon be posted on the conference website www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq-he/. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank University of Westminster and MBI AlJaber Foundation for their generous and sustain support for HE in Iraq.

I would also like to thank the Minister of HE in Kurdistan, Dr Idris Salah Hadi whose determined support and hospitality ensured the success of the conference.  I also like to thank his staff for their support and in particular, Dr Ahmed Dezaye, chair of the Erbil Committee.  It should be noted that it was the Ministry’s invitation of IHOEC to hold a joint conference in Erbil which made it possible to have this successful conference in Iraq. 

I like to assert my thanks to my IHEOC colleagues for their hard work and support and particularly to Dr Ghazi Derwish and Dr Sherzad Talabani for their resolute and active support.

Once again I like to thank you all for your help, support and encouragement which were truly the real force that helped us to conclude the conference successfully.  Thank you very much.

Best wishes for the New Year, 2008.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini
Secretary General of Iraq Higher Education Organising Committee, IHEOC
www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq-he/

Speech of IHEOC Secretary General, Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini, Given at opening session of the conference on 11 Dec 2007

بســم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Your Excellency the President of Kurdistan, Mr Masud Barazani;
Your Excellency Minister of Technology in Iraq, Dr Raid Fahmi;
Your Excellency Minister of Higher Education in Kurdistan, Dr Idris Hadi;
Iraqi Deputy Minister of HE, Dr Salam Khoshnow;
Presidents of Iraqi Universities;
Delegates, Colleagues and Friends

الســــــلام  عليكم
Welcome

I would like to welcome you all on this great day for launching a constructive conference on the advancement of HE in Iraq.

I also would like to thank the Ministry of HE in Kurdistan for inviting us to Erbil to celebrate in this beautiful city and to have the honour of meeting its people.

Today’s conference is the results of two years hard and dedicated work by IHEOC.  The decision of holding this conference is made in Sept 2005; please let me just give you a brief background.

Iraq Higher Education Organising Committee, IHEOC, was established in summer 2003 after the fall of the dictatorship with the aim to help HE in Iraq to rebuild itself to compete with international institutions worldwide.

In Jan 2004, IHEOC organised its 1^st International Symposium on HE in Iraq with the collaboration of the British Council and the University of Westminster.  IHEOC invited the presidents of all Iraqi Universities to London to meet face-to-face with their counterpart the British Vice Chancellors and Directors of research establishments in the UK.  The Symposium was great success and achieved great understanding of HE in Iraq needs and the methods on how to approach the rebuilding HE in Iraq.

IHEOC was asked by the delegates and many British universities and with the support of the British Council to organise another similar event with the aim to further develop collaborations with the universities and research centres in Iraq.

 The 2^nd International Symposium on HE in Iraq held in Sept 2005 again at University of Westminster in London.  Again the event was great success. 

At the end of the conference the Kurdish delegate, headed by the Minister of HE in Kurdistan, asked IHEOC to organise their next International Symposium in Erbil.  Within days IHEOC met and decided to accept the honour with determination to carry out a very successful conference.  And here were today celebrating that honourable invitation and that determination for achieve today’s conference.  However, the preparation in Kurdistan slowed down until this year.

 In January 2007, the new Minister of HE in Kurdistan, Dr Idris Hadi visited London and IHEOC arranged a meeting with him.  IHEOC representatives from Germany and Australia also attended the meeting.  Methods of organisation and cooperation between IHEOC and the Ministry have been defined and it was agreed that the conference will be organised jointly by IHEOC and the Ministry of HE in Kurdistan.  The themes of the conference were discussed and agreed upon in this meeting.    

 The work was quickly and speedily pushed forward and the conference was arranged for Sept 2007.  However due to the slow communication with the Ministry of HE in Baghdad and the Iraqi universities it has been requested that more time should be given for the Iraqi academics to prepare for the conference.  Therefore the date was moved to today, 11 Dec 07.

 Today and the next two days’ schedule are going to be very exciting and busy.  We will be having plenary sessions with worldly recognised academics and parallel sessions of 24 specialised workshops that had been identified as key areas of interest.

 The aim of this conference is to develop a strategic plan for an advance, dynamic and constructive policy for HE in Iraq.

 Today, is a golden opportunity for all of us to help in developing the best suitable recommendations for the advancement of HE in Iraq.

 Let us all put our best efforts to achieve that great aim.

 Thank you

IHEOC, London, UK, alhussa@wmin.ac.uk