A delegation from the University of Halabja recently participated in a field visit to Rome and Murcia between January 16 and 20, 2023. The field visit was organized as part of the APPRAIS project and focused on various aspects of higher education, including International Credit Mobility, Quality Assurance, and the tasks and duties of the International Office.

The delegation from the University of Halabja consisted of Dr. Ranjdar Mohammed Azeez, Vice-President for Student Affairs, Mr. Rasti Ayub Hama Saeed, representative of the university’s international academic relations and local project coordinator, Mr. Karwan Mahdi Hama Rawf and Mr. Atta Ali Abdalmohammad, lecturers from the College of Science and the College of Humanities, respectively.

They were joined by delegations from seven other Kurdish universities and representatives from the KRG’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Affairs. The field visit was organized by UNIMED and aimed to provide participants with an in-depth look at the current state of higher education in Italy and Spain.

During the visit, the delegations had the opportunity to learn about international credit mobility, the importance of quality assurance in higher education, and the tasks and duties of the International Office. They also received an introduction to organizations and agencies such as INDIRE, ANVUR, Cimea, SEPIE, and OPERUM, and learned about the development of virtual universities.

The first part of the visit took place in Rome, where participants had the opportunity to engage in discussions with representatives from Italian universities and learn about their experiences in international credit mobility, virtual mobility and credit recognition and procedures for the recognition, qualification framework and accreditation as well as opportunities of cooperation for KRG universities. During the second part of the visit in Murcia, participants learned about opportunities of Erasmus+ Programme for the Kurdistan Region HEIs, recognition of credits and learning agreements, and European Universities: University of Well-Being (EU UNIWELL).

Overall, the field visit was a valuable and successful experience for the University of Halabja delegation and other participants, as it provided them with the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in higher education in Europe in general and in Italy and Spain in particular and to exchange ideas and experiences with their peers from other universities. The University of Halabja and other participating institutions are eager to continue their cooperation and exchange and to use the insights gained during the visit to further advance the quality and recognition of their higher education programs.