Kurdistan Region minister urges universities to overhaul curricula

ERBIL, Iraq — The Kurdistan Region's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Aram Mohammed Qadir, has called on universities and institutes in the region to review and update their curricula to align with modern developments and labor market needs. Speaking at an awards ceremony at Salahaddin University in Erbil honoring leading academics in the natural and human sciences, Qadir said the Ministry of Higher Education and the regional government fully support efforts to develop curricula. Qadir stressed the importance of aligning educational programs with the changing needs of the local market and said his ministry and the government would provide all necessary support for the effort. Salahaddin University President Prof. Kamran Younis said the institution is among the oldest in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, educating more than 23,670 students across 17 faculties and 88 academic departments with a faculty of 2,639. He added that 3,884 postgraduate students are currently enrolled in master's and doctoral programs. At the ceremony, 1,483 faculty members in the natural sciences and 684 in the human sciences were honored for their contributions to academia and research.