Kurdistan Region PhD Students Face Degree Recognition Dispute at Iraqi Universities
Dozens of students studying for PhDs at Iraqi universities are facing disruption after Baghdad refused to recognize their master’s degree equivalency decisions issued by the Kurdistan Region.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Dozens of PhD students from the Kurdistan Region studying at Iraqi universities are facing the risk of having their education disrupted after Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research refused to recognize equivalency decisions for their master’s degrees, according to several students who spoke to Kurdistan24 on Wednesday.
The students said they had enrolled at Iraqi universities over the past two years as part of a joint agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the federal government’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, aimed at enabling students from the Kurdistan Region to pursue higher education at Iraqi universities.
However, students pursuing PhDs whose master’s degrees were obtained abroad and whose qualifications were subsequently processed for equivalency by the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research say the federal ministry does not recognize the equivalency decisions issued by the Region.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, although relevant authorities in Baghdad allowed the students to begin their studies, they were given a two-year period to repeat the equivalency procedures for their master’s degrees through the federal Ministry of Higher Education.
The students say differences between the guidelines and lists of accredited foreign universities recognized by Erbil and Baghdad have created an obstacle to the federal recognition of their qualifications.
The dispute has raised serious concerns over the students’ ability to continue their PhD studies, particularly those admitted through parallel education programs, who are required to pay tuition fees and risk losing the money they have already paid if their studies are disrupted.
The affected students are calling on the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to reach a final agreement with Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education to ensure that Baghdad formally recognizes the degree-equivalency decisions issued by the Kurdistan Region.
They say resolving the dispute would remove the uncertainty surrounding their studies and allow them to continue their academic programs without facing further obstacles over their previously recognized qualifications.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers has intervened to address the issue.
Through the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Representation in Baghdad, the council has begun intensive efforts to find an appropriate solution and bring the dispute to an end.
The intervention comes as affected students face uncertainty over the future of their doctoral studies, amid differences between the federal and Kurdistan Region authorities over the recognition of foreign qualifications and the accreditation of universities.