The Pedagogy and Academic Development Training Centre at the University of Human Development (UHD) completed its Sixth Training Course and held a certificate award ceremony today, 20th September 2022, for the participants who numbered 55. Graduates of the centre are formally qualified to teach at public and private universities and other higher education institutions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The sixth course started on the 2nd of March and ended on the 3rd of September 2022. It was taught by specialists and the participants were from different academic and professional education centres.

UHD is the only private university in Sulaymaniyah governorate which is licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government to have a pedagogy centre, to train Master’s and PhD holders to teach at Kurdistan universities and other higher education institutions. Accepted applicants must complete a six months course in which they study several modules and receive training on the best and most accepted methods of teaching.

The director of the centre Asst Prof. Dr Ahmed Omar Bali welcomed the attendees at the onset of the ceremony and congratulated them on their achievements. He thanked the UHD president Prof. Dr Mariwan Ahmed Rasheed and the president’s assistant for scientific affairs Prof. Dr Anwar Muhammad Faraj for their constant support of the centre.

Later, the UHD president praised the efforts of the trainers and congratulated the participants. He referred to UHD’s continuous efforts to stay a pioneer in the field of higher education. He mentioned that UHD sponsored a study course for a team of university lecturers several years ago – members of the team included lecturers from UHD and several public universities – at HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences in Finland to receive training on modern teaching methods. These lecturers now train and instruct higher education degree holders at the pedagogy centres in Kurdistan.