President Barzani champions education investment at UKH 20th anniversary

Shafaq News- Erbil

Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) President Nechirvan Barzani said investment in education and knowledge remains key to KRI’s future as the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) marks 20 years since its founding.

Speaking at a ceremony on Sunday to mark the anniversary, Barzani reflected on the changes that followed the ''2003 liberation of Iraq,'' when the Kurdistan Region was focused largely on survival and had to direct its resources toward that goal.

The new political landscape created room for greater investment in development, opening the way for new institutions, infrastructure projects and stronger ties with the international community, he said.

By 2006, the Kurdistan Region had entered a new phase, with efforts turning toward building institutions and roads and expanding international relations. "Since then, I have believed, and still believe, that the most important thing we can invest in is knowledge. That is why we established Kurdistan-Hewler University," Barzani stated.

The university was founded to become one of the leading universities in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, and the wider region, with a mission to provide modern education, maintain connections with the wider world and meet international academic standards while preserving academic freedom and independence.

"Twenty years later, more than 3,700 students have graduated from the university, many of whom have gone on to contribute to the development of the Kurdistan Region," Barzani said. About 75% of graduates are now employed, while more than 90% are active in the public or private sectors. "More than half have also gone beyond looking for jobs, launching initiatives that have created employment opportunities for hundreds of young people across the Region."

The university’s graduates have since entered the KRI workforce in fields ranging from development to public administration, the president noted, pointing to their experience as evidence of the value of investing in education and human development.

The university’s two-decade journey, however, has also included setbacks. Barzani acknowledged that some decisions made over the years proved sound, while others later required reconsideration.

"The institution must be prepared to learn from those experiences, adapt and correct its mistakes rather than avoid acknowledging them," he added, stressing that recognizing errors and drawing on past experience can strengthen an institution and help it move forward.

Founded in 2006, the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr is Iraq’s first public English-medium university. It has graduated more than 3,700 students since its establishment, while its 2025 graduating class included 526 students. In the QS Arab Region Rankings 2025, UKH was placed in the 181-190 band.