The Dean of the Open Educational College, Asst. Prof. Dr. Anees Mohammed Jassim Al-Mashhadani, participated in the meeting of the Committee of Deans of Colleges of Basic Education in Iraqi Universities, held at the University of Kirkuk on the morning of Monday, July 24, 2023.
The meeting addressed several axes related to the work of the Deanships of the Colleges of Basic Education in Iraq and made decisions regarding them. During the session, Al-Mashhadani presented the obstacles facing graduates of the Open Educational College who have completed their "Scientific Audit/Clearing" (Al-Maqasa Al-Ilmiya) when applying for postgraduate studies. These challenges included some colleges refusing their applications, others demanding additional scientific clearing subjects, and some departments rejecting them under the pretext of mismatched academic backgrounds during their bachelor's stage.
These obstacles were discussed, and the Chairman of the Deans' Committee, Prof. Dr. Mohammed Fulayih Al-Jabbouri, confirmed: "The Ministry of Higher Education has affirmed in official letters that graduates of the Open Educational College who have completed the scientific clearing are allowed to apply for postgraduate studies without being required to perform additional clearing subjects." He also emphasized that all such graduates are permitted to apply for postgraduate studies on an equal footing with graduates of other Iraqi universities. He stated that, starting from the current year 2023-2024, the Ministry of Higher Education has allowed these graduates to apply to all departments within the Colleges of Basic Education, requesting the Deans to facilitate the process and avoid imposing conditions outside the official regulations.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Governor of Kirkuk, Mr. Rakan Al-Jabbouri, met with the committee, thanking them for choosing Kirkuk as the venue for their periodic meeting. Additionally, the President of the University of Kirkuk, Prof. Dr. Imran Jamal, received the committee members, welcoming them and presenting them with letters of appreciation for their efforts.