The Pedagogy and Academic Development Training Centre at the University of Human Development (UHD) held a certificate awarding ceremony for the participants of its Seventh Course on 13th April 2023. Thirty-two students were awarded certificates which means that they are now formally qualified to teach at public and private universities and higher education institutes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The Pedagogy and Academic Development Training Centre at UHD is the only private institution in Sulaymaniyah Governorate that is licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government to train and qualify Master and PhD degrees holders for teaching at universities and institutes. The course is run twice a year. Participants study for six months during which they receive training and acquire the necessary skills in teaching methods.

The ceremony began with a welcoming speech by the director of the centre, Asst Prof. Dr Ahmed Omar Bali. Then the UHD President Prof. Dr Mariwan Ahmed Rasheed praised the efforts of the director and instructors at the centre and congratulated the participants for their achievement. He mentioned that UHD is doing all it can to serve science and education in Kurdistan. He referred to an earlier effort of UHD in that regard which was financially sponsoring a study course for a team of university lecturers – members of the team included lecturers from UHD and several public universities in Kurdistan – at HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences in Finland several years ago to receive training on pedagogy and modern teaching methods.