US-Kurdish Partnership on Accrediting Kurdistan Region Educational Institutions

“Standardization is the driving force behind meaningful reform in our region.”

KRG represented by Mr. Honar Issa signing partnership agreement with the American MSCHE, in Washington DC, USA. (Photo: Kurdistan24)
KRG represented by Mr. Honar Issa signing partnership agreement with the American MSCHE, in Washington DC, USA. (Photo: Kurdistan24)

Jan 15, 2025

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) On Tuesday, the Representation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Washington hosted an event to mark the signing of an accord on the accreditation of educational institutions in the Kurdistan Region by two U.S. associations.

Such accreditation helps ensure that schools in the Kurdistan Region meet international standards. At the same time, it lets admissions officers in educational institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere understand the achievement of Kurdish schools, which facilitates entry into foreign colleges.

Some years ago, this reporter chanced to speak with Dr. Allan Goodman, President of the Institute of International Education, which administers the Fulbright program, as well as other scholarship programs funded by the U.S. government.

In our discussion, Goodman expressed high praise for the quality of universities in the Kurdistan Region.

New Partnerships

On Tuesday, as Honar Issa, a member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Kurdistan, announced on his Facebook page, the KRG “has formed a long-term partnership with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Middle States Association-Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.”

“This collaboration supports the Kurdistan Accrediting Association for Education in establishing standards and creating a framework to evaluate schools and universities in the Kurdistan Region,” Issa continued, adding, “Standardization is the driving force behind meaningful reform in our region.”

On its website, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) explains that it “is a global institutional accreditor recognized by the United States Secretary of Education since 1952.”

“MSCHE assures students and the public of the educational quality for its over 500 institutions of higher education,” the website adds.

On their website, the Middle States Association-Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) explains that they accredit early-childhood through post-secondary schools.

The MSA-CESS are affiliated with the State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools, and they “are founding members of the International Alliance of Accrediting Associations which includes the major regional, national, and international accrediting agencies,” their website explains.”