During Advisory Board at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research held its ninth meeting chaired by His Excellency, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Abd Yaser Al-Aboudi emphasized that Iraqi universities are working to enhance their institutional and academic performance and utilize their research and specialized capabilities to strengthen their position in the knowledge society and respond to its changes.

Dr. Al-Aboudi said that the increasing demand for university education opens new horizons for expansion in modern specializations, most notably artificial intelligence and the development of research programs that position Iraqi universities on the path to global competitiveness.

His Excellency added that the importance of harnessing modern technologies and comprehensive digital transformation in teaching and learning, and working to develop tools and research that enable Iraqi universities to contribute effectively to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Al-Aboudi demonstrated that the attendees reviewed the items on the agenda of the ninth meeting of the Advisory Board and voted positively on a number of decisions:

▪️ Approving on the Iraqi University Customs and Traditions Regulations.

▪️ Providing of electronic point of sale (POS) charging points at universities according to the directives of the Council of Ministers and decisions of the Central Bank.

▪️ Completing of the comprehensive digital transformation before the start of the academic year 2025/2026.

▪️ Updating the directory of foreign universities and adding a number of them to the scholarship directory.

▪️ Changing the name (People of Determination) or (People with Special Needs) to (People with Distinctive Abilities) and studying the establishment of colleges and departments to support this segment.

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Al-Aboudi, concluded the meeting by directing universities to strengthen productive international scientific and academic partnerships, enabling the exchange of expertise, programs, students, faculty members, and researchers, and achieving the highest level of integration to meet scientific and technical requirements.

It is worth to be mentioned that the meeting was attended by senior staff and presidents of public universities.