The workshop was organized further to a consultation held earlier this year that brought together key stakeholders of the higher education sector to reflect on the needs and priorities of higher education post 2015. Key areas noted during the February workshop included quality management, capacity building and a more efficient system of governance.

Organized in cooperation with the RWTH-Aachen University, Germany, the workshop was run by guest trainers Stephan Losse and Rebecca Reschke, who presented the Aachen Quality Management Model (AQMM), an organizational framework for quality-related structures and tasks that provides a blueprint to improve university governance.

The workshop was attended by officials from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and heads of quality management departments from universities across the country including the Universities of Technology of Mustansiriyah, Babil, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Thiqar, Wasit, Kufa, Kerbala, Samara and Diyala and the newly-opened universities of Somar and Al Qasim Al- Khadhra’a University.

UNESCO expert Semia Saadaoui said: “Quality management is the cornerstone of rehabilitating the higher education sector in Iraq as it involves crucial development processes at all levels to improve the quality of performance in higher education institutions, not only of central administration but also of academic programmes.”

The workshop addressed the topics of quality management, change management, project management and lean administration.

The workshop familiarized participants with new tools and concepts that will enable the practical and immediate use of effective management tools to improve management and governance in higher education institutions and ministry departments.