In the framework of the English Language Course organized for the Peshmerge forces by the UOD since January, 2024, on February 20, 2024, 2 high-rank officers paid a visit to the UOD’s American Corner, in order to learn about the course and its progress so far. Colonel Allen Pepper, the U.S. Senior Defense Official, and Colonel Michael M. Gacheru, the senior Advisor of Northern Affairs, were warmly welcomed by the International Relations Director, Dr. Nazar Ameen, the Head of English Language Department at the College of Languages, Dr. Marwan Maho Abdi, and the educators of the course who are academic members at the Department of English Language, Mr. Dilgesh Mohammed and Mr. Hogir Najm as well as the officers and representatives from the Peshmerge forces.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Nizar gave a brief summary on the course and its details. He clarified that the course is being provided 3 days a week, and 3 hours a day. And the trainees are actively participating. He also stated: “We will continue to make the progress we want in raising the levels of the trainees in English Language. We are looking forward to providing other courses serving other people in the community.” Also, Dr. Marwan demonstrated the last updates happening in the course and showed: “After a month and a half of the commencement of the course, we have noticed a remarkable progress in the trainees’ levels.”

Further, Mr. Hogir described his experience with this course stating: “It’s hard usually to get students motivated in teaching processes but these trainees are really motivated which helps in having a good teaching atmosphere. It makes it easier to us to deliver the knowledge to them.”

The delegates extended their happiness to hear that about the course. They also delivered their recommendations for the coming period of the course so that it will be at its best.

It’s worth mentioning that this course has commenced on January 7th and will be concluded on April 7th as planned. 30 members from the Peshmerge Forces are participating in it. This course is managed by the IR Directorate and supervised by the U.S. Consulate in Erbil and is supported by the organization of the Spirit of America. Most importantly, the UOD always attempts to provide skills developing courses and programs for different people to serve the community and citizens.

THE UNIVERSITY OF DUHOK

The University of Duhok (UOD) is a public university in the city of Duhok, which is about 150 km northwest of Erbil (Arbil, Hewlér), the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region (KRI). The city is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains. The university campus is a large green area in the city's west side that provides an exciting view of the city and surrounding nature. UOD was founded in October 1992 with only two colleges to meet the region's growing demand for graduate professionals. Today, the UOD has a 19-college with 67 departments, nearly 24000 students, and over 4000 academic and administrative staff. Students thrive in one of the best regional academic communities, studying in programs such as Agriculture, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Architecture, Engineering, Humanities, Linguistics, Basic Education, and Economics as well as Spatial Planning. UOD has strong engagement through its International Relations with many Higher Education institutions and centres of excellence worldwide, such as Purdue University, Indiana University (IU), New York University (NYU), The University of Noter Dame (ND), The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA), BridgeWater State University in the USA, The University of Warsaw - Poland, The University of Glasgow - Scotland, The University of Twente - The Netherlands, Leipzig University, LLC University, University of Oldenburg, The University of Vechta, Europa-Universität Flensburg, TU Dortmund university, THM Giessen University in Germany, The University of Tuscia, The university of Pavia, Sapienza Università di Roma in Italy, The University of Deusto, The University of Barcelona, The University of Granada (UGR) in Spain, Lund University - Sweden, The University of Sussex in the UK, Tampere University - Finland, and so many more. The University of Duhok is an active member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), The UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union, and The Association of Arab Universities (AARU).

UOD Media February 22, 2024

Fatima Mahmood

Photo Credits: Harman Jangeer