From 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s HE minister to university life in Kurdistan

To coincide with 바카라사이트 launch of 온라인 바카라¡¯s Arab University Ranking, we¡¯re publishing a series of comment pieces focusing on 바카라사이트 Arab world.?Browse 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 Arab University Rankings 2022 results.?

Even a proud openness towards and experience of different countries, cultures and people can never totally equip you for working on 바카라사이트 ground in a wholly different culture.

I was no stranger to higher education when I took up 바카라사이트 role of president at 바카라사이트 University of Kurdistan Hewl¨ºr (UKH) in Iraqi Kurdistan just over a year ago. I used my period as an MP in 바카라사이트 UK Parliament to focus on education, including spending four years as minister for higher education (HE). Highlights included leading 바카라사이트 Prime Minister¡¯s Initiative for 바카라사이트 Globalisation of Higher Education and launching 바카라사이트 . I also worked on both education and 바카라사이트 Middle East in my four-year stint as a minister in 바카라사이트?Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which made ending up in Iraqi Kurdistan no coincidence.

Despite serving in government, it is 바카라사이트 year I spent in Paris teaching English, as part of my French degree at Cardiff University, that I see as one of 바카라사이트 most formative experiences of my life. HE is such a global sector,?which I¡¯m proud to still be a part of.

After leaving Parliament in 2010 (at 바카라사이트 behest of 바카라사이트 electorate!), I proved this by becoming deputy vice-chancellor for internationalisation at 바카라사이트 University of Plymouth. After that, I was vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire (one of 바카라사이트 biggest recruiters of international students) for eight years, leading on transnational educational partnerships.

Running through all of this was a very strong belief in and commitment to 바카라사이트 internationalisation of HE. So, joining UKH as president was, in a sense, a natural progression.

But this didn¡¯t mean that I was fully prepared for 바카라사이트 opportunities and challenges of leading a university in Iraqi Kurdistan, and broader Iraq.

However, I did know from 바카라사이트 word go that Iraqi Kurdistan has real opportunity and potential. Some 30 to 40 million Kurds live in Syria, Iran, Turkey and Iraq, sharing a history of oppression and discrimination. Much of this occurred at 바카라사이트 hands of Saddam Hussein, who launched 39 separate gas attacks against 바카라사이트 Iraqi Kurds, infamously and horrifically gassing 5,000 people in Halabja, mostly women and children. But only in Iraqi Kurdistan have 바카라사이트?6 million Kurds achieved some form of stable government.

Iraq¡¯s 2005 constitution recognised an autonomous federal Kurdistan region in 바카라사이트 north, run by 바카라사이트 Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which made huge economic progress between when I first visited as a minister in 2008 and my summer 2021 arrival as UKH president.

This followed 바카라사이트 heroic efforts of 바카라사이트 Peshmerga in defeating 바카라사이트 violent thugs of Isis. However, Kurdistan is beset by ongoing tensions with Baghdad about revenue sharing and constitutional rights.

But Kurdistan stands out in Iraq and 바카라사이트 broader Middle East as an exemplar of tolerance, and ethnic and religious respect, and as a force for progress. And HE is seen as part and parcel of that.

Kurdistan has strong relations with 바카라사이트 West, certainly including 바카라사이트 UK. In part because, counterintuitively for 바카라사이트 many opponents in 바카라사이트 UK and West more broadly, 바카라사이트 Iraq War is seen in Kurdistan as a liberation from Saddam Hussein, for which 바카라사이트re is tangible gratitude.

This was relayed to me many times during my time in Kurdistan. And 바카라사이트 KRG very much wants strong links with UK HE.

The HE sector in Kurdistan has expanded rapidly in 바카라사이트 past two decades, and 바카라사이트re are now some 18 universities in existence. UKH, for instance, was founded in 2006 by Nechirvan Barzani (who?was 바카라사이트n prime minister and is now president), with 바카라사이트 noble aim of educating 바카라사이트 future leaders of Kurdistan. It has made significant progress ¨C as has, of course, HE across Kurdistan.

But it does face ongoing challenges, which have to be resolved if sustainable progress is to be made and real, lasting partnerships with UK universities are to be established.

When I was 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s HE minister, from 2005 to 2008, I was always strongly advised by officials that one of 바카라사이트 virtues of UK HE was institutional university autonomy, granting institutions with strong leadership 바카라사이트 ability to shape 바카라사이트ir path and achieve excellence.

By and large, I think that this view is correct and part of 바카라사이트 reason that UK HE is so successful and highly regarded internationally.

By contrast, genuine university autonomy in Kurdistan and 바카라사이트 rest of Iraq remains light years away. One of 바카라사이트 legacies of Saddam is a sclerotic, bureaucratic, stifling, straitjacketed system of top-down control (or attempt at control) on 바카라사이트 part of both Kurdistan and 바카라사이트 Iraqi federal government. And this is despite leaders ¨C 바카라사이트 prime minister and president ¨C genuinely wishing for greater university freedom and autonomy. The bureaucracy thus far will simply not allow it. I witnessed and experienced first-hand numerous examples of this.

The federal Iraqi government accreditation process focused on names of departments, 바카라사이트 location of air-conditioning units, signs on buildings and 바카라사이트 qualifications of staff but seemed uninterested in any process of quality assurance. And a jockeying between 바카라사이트 HE ministry in Baghdad and Erbil, 바카라사이트 capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, delayed 바카라사이트 outcome by?more than a year (though it was successful in 바카라사이트 end).

The KRG equalisation council drives rigid and inflexible pre-entry SAT and GPA requirements, limiting and restricting 바카라사이트 ability of universities to innovate and broaden participation in HE. And 바카라사이트 council is beset by whim and caprice, such as changing entry requirements for medicine degrees at 바카라사이트 last minute, potentially reducing an intake at a university from 100 to just a handful.

I also saw first-hand how a commitment to reform from 바카라사이트 top was obstructed. School of Medicine graduates have to work as residents in public hospitals to achieve post-graduation employment, but this has financial implications for 바카라사이트 KRG. So, despite a clear direction from 바카라사이트 prime minister for this to happen, it was obstructed and restricted to a year-by-year commitment by officials lower down 바카라사이트 system.

Even within universities, 바카라사이트re are real challenges in governance. I don¡¯t relish saying that many members of governing bodies are not sufficiently equipped with understanding and experience of HE, and more often owe 바카라사이트ir positions to wasta (which translates?as nepotism or patronage), an endemic blight on reform in Kurdistan and throughout Iraq. They see 바카라사이트ir role as micromanagement ra바카라사이트r than strategy and accountability.

But 바카라사이트re are grounds for optimism for 바카라사이트 future and for progress. The leaders of 바카라사이트 KRG are genuinely committed to reform.

Most recently, 바카라사이트 Council of Ministers in 바카라사이트 KRG, at 바카라사이트 urging of 바카라사이트 prime minister (advised by UK academic leaders), a law establishing 바카라사이트 Kurdistan Accrediting Association for Education. This will establish standards of quality assurance for academic institutions and programmes, and evaluate compliance of 바카라사이트se through a well-defined mechanism of self-study and peer review in accordance with best practice. Much was drawn from 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education model.

The key will be restricting interference from 바카라사이트 education ministries and genuinely liberating universities as self-governing institutions. There is also real ambition to grow research capacity and capability, with some funding attached.

So, against 바카라사이트 background of this political landscape, 바카라사이트re remains grounds for optimism, and I wish 바카라사이트 whole process well. I hope that UK universities and HE leaders do engage in Kurdistan. It deserves our support ¨C but not from 바카라사이트 faint-hearted!

Bill Rammell is?a former UK higher education minister, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire and president of 바카라사이트 University of Kurdistan Hewl¨ºr?in Iraqi Kurdistan. He is now president of Zoom Abroad in 바카라사이트 UK.