For the first time in Duhok, the UoD in association with the Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) officially opened a TOEFL center at on December 7th, 2009.
The center was opened in a ceremony attended by a number of university instructors, students, RRT members and governmental officials.
Dr. Asmat M. Khalid, president of UoD, stressed the importance of this center for the students and instructors in the area referring that the UoD spared no effort to open this center. He said “English language has become one of the important needs for individual progress especially for those who are willing to continue their studies abroad”. He added that opening this center at the UoD indicates the internationally advanced level the UoD has reached, as TOEFL centers are only opened in universities with high levels.
For his part, Mr. Andrew Snouw, manager of RRT, gave a speech in the opening ceremony, he said that most of the foreign students apply for Master and PhD Degrees in British, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Singapore universities and in all these universities, student are obliged to submit TOEFL Test certificate. Due to this fact, opening a TOEFL center at the UoD is a great opportunity for its students and instructors.
Dr. Dawood Atrushi, Vice President for International Relations at UoD, showed thankfulness to all the part who contributed in opening this center.
It is to be mentioned here that there are more than 4500 TOEFL centers in 165 countries around the world.
The TOEFL center at UoD, which is financially supported by the university itself and the US government through RRT, is the first center in Iraq that employs both, Paper-Based Test and Internet-Based Test.
The exam hall at the center has been provided with 20 computer devices and all the necessary needs for the Internet-Based Test and another hall for the Paper-Based Test in the second floor in the College of Law and Politics.
It is worth mentioning here that the UoD previously sent a staff to Jordan for training to acquire experience in running TOEFL center.