ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani urged sweeping reforms to the Region’s education system at a conference put on by the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok on Sunday. “The education system in the Kurdistan Region needs repairing and reform in a way that fits today’s scientific and universal standard scale,” said Barzani, adding these reforms are needed from kindergarten through higher education. “The development of science and technology brings new concepts, values and understandings, forming new economic, social and political situations,” he said. This progress is moving ahead quickly and the Kurdistan Region must keep up, it cannot hold onto the old styles and methods of education, he added. The AUK conference, dubbed a national conversation on education, brings together policy makers and educators. “The aim is to identify opportunities to groom the current system into an exemplary model for Iraq and the Middle East with the focus on workforce preparedness, not just aiming to accommodate Kurdistan’s economic needs of today, but into the future with a more comprehensive approach to education from elementary through to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels,” the university stated. The Kurdistan Region’s public education system largely focuses on theory and practical study is limited, often because of lack of equipment. Entry into post-secondary education is driven by grades, with a student’s marks determining what field they will study. The coronavirus pandemic has shown that the Kurdistan Region needs to shift its focus of priority, said Abdulkader Kakasur, an education specialist with the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF). During the pandemic, school buildings were shut and education was moved out of the classroom and onto the internet. In that experience, “we learned that the schools are no longer important, but what’s important is the learning inside the school, what children are learning,” said Kakasur. He also said that major changes are needed in terms of how schools are administered, decentralizing management and involving the local community. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also spoke at the event and emphasized that a strong education system is crucial for a strong future. “We ask teachers and experts to provide a healthy education system so future generations can take our country to a much better stage. I am sure we can do that if we all work together and reach for it with our hearts and lives,” he said. “If we want to know what the future of our country will be, then we need to look at our education today,” he added.
