Education reforms ‘will provide a brighter future’: PM Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In their keynote speeches at the beginning of Sunday's conference on education at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok, the Kurdistan Region's prime minister and president both shared their thoughts and ideas about the future of the education sector in the region and ways it can be improved.

"In our cabinet program, we mentioned that we will pay significant attention to the education process, including schools and university," Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said. "We will continue to make reforms and develop our educational institutions to reach international standards to provide jobs to the youth and develop the economy."

He stressed that the goal behind studying should not merely be to earn certifications, "but to raise the education of the society."

He also said that the government "will set a strategic plan for developing" the region's education system.

"The development of the education system is a big part of the cabinet reform," he said. "We assure the people of Kurdistan that these reforms will provide a brighter future."

"Our education system should plant the love of country, history, and culture in the hearts of the students," he added. "To educate them to respect ethnic and religious diversity, environment, and to teach them how to serve their country after their graduation."

"We need our teaching cadres to make this happen, and I'm sure we can do this if we all work together."

Barzani also announced that his cabinet plans to form a new body, called the National Accreditation Body, "to develop educational institutions and make a plan for solving all the problems in the education sector."

"And this body could become an example for all of Iraq."

He also noted that since the formation of his cabinet, the region has faced many crises. To deal with these crises, the prime minister said, "we avoided going to get loans and putting a burden on the future generations. Instead, we started making reforms, and we will continue making reforms, through which we can guarantee our future."

President Nechirvan Barzani also gave a speech in which he pointed out that technology "is going forward very fast."

"If we don't go with it, we will be left behind," he said. "The development in the world is very fast, and we can't continue using the old methods."

He mentioned India, South Korea, and Singapore as examples of countries with successful and advanced education systems that can be emulated.

"We need to make reform in the educational system and plan for the future," Barzani said. "We have to focus on science, technology to serve humanity."

He suggested that the economy and the education system "should be tied together" and that the latter "should be updated on a yearly basis."

The president also emphasized the importance of teachers and said they should be supported through training programs.

"We need to establish vocational institutes in all different fields," he said. "Obtaining degrees should serve the development of the country."

He expressed his hope that the conference would succeed and pave the way for "developing the education system in the Kurdistan Region."

"Working on the education system is the key for developing all the other sectors," Barzani said. "This issue is a top priority for the current cabinet program."