Prof. Dr. Mudhaffar Sadiq Al-Zuhariy led a delegation from Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University for a working visit to Politehnica University of Bucharest in Romania, along with six other technical universities from the center and the region, and a representative from the Ministry and UNESCO Office in Iraq.

During his remarks at the meeting with the President of Politehnica University of Bucharest, Al-Zuhairy expressed his gratitude to the host university and conveyed the greetings of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Al-Aboudi. He also conveyed the minister’s best wishes for the visit to achieve its intended goals, particularly in the internationalization of Iraqi universities and expanding cooperation with global universities in the field of education and scientific research.

The University President highlighted that the internationalization of higher education is among the ministry’s priorities and emphasized the significant steps taken in this direction, including adopting the Bologna Process in technical universities starting from the academic year 2022-2023, with the ministry’s adoption in all government and private universities beginning from the academic year 2023-2024 in engineering and science faculties as the first step.

Al-Zuhairy also mentioned the launch of the “Study in Iraq” initiative by the Minister, which is contributing positively to international enrollment, with over 3000 students from various countries enrolling in Iraqi universities. He affirmed the university’s readiness to sign a scientific and cultural memorandum of understanding with Politehnica University of Bucharest in various areas, including faculty and student exchange, joint research, participation in scientific conferences and training workshops to enhance capabilities, scholarships, and joint supervision of postgraduate students.

Furthermore, the University President provided an overview of technical education in Iraq and showcased a short film about Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University as a model for technical education.

On his part, the President of Politehnica University of Bucharest expressed the university’s full readiness to collaborate and utilize its capabilities to achieve the intended goal of the visit, falling within the framework of internationalization of higher education in Iraq.

It is worth noting that internationalization of education achieves the integration of global elements in the higher education environment through international curricula, exchange of faculty, and enhancing cultural exchange and joint supervision.

The university delegation included. Dr. Ali Najah Kadhim, Director of Quality Assurance and Academic Performance Department.

The visit encompassed various meetings with college deans, their deputies, and officials in charge of cultural relations to learn about effective management systems, governance, and quality assurance, in addition to visiting a number of specialized research centers at the university.