Her Majesty The Queen

Her Majasty The Queen meeting Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini, Secretary General of IHESTO. 

During Her Majesty's visit to the University of Westminster, London, in 2004, to grant the University the Royal Charter of Enterprise on International work, She noted IHESTO's (previously called IHEOC) poster on display at the University’s Hall.   The Vice Chancellor of the University, Dr Geoffrey Copland introduced Dr Al-Hussaini as representative of the Iraqi Higher Education Committee which have activities across many universities with the aim of helping higher education in Iraq.

Iraq is blessed with vast reserves of oil and natural gas, and is one of the most promising, still largely undeveloped sources of hydrocarbon resources in the world. After decades of underinvestment due to conflict and sanctions, Iraq is actively seeking international investment and expertise to help in the development of its oil and gas sectors. From efforts to harness associated gas from southern oil fields to the launching and negotiation of Iraq’s first post-war oil and gas bid rounds, Iraq has begun the process of substantial reengagement with investors from around the world.

Meeting the PM Nori Al-Maliki, Sept 2007

L to R: Dr Ghazi Derwish, Dr Fouad Kanbour, Dr Ala Al-Zobadi and Dr Abbas Al-Hussaini and the PM Mr Nori Al-Maliki

 After the successful Erbil Conference in Sept 2007 on HE in Iraq, IHESTO was invited to meet the PM to discuss the outcome of the Conference.  IHESTO briefed the PM on the work carried out and provided the PM with a copy of the conclusions and recommendations of the conference.  The PM thanked IHESTO for its contribution to help HE in Iraq and gave his instruction to MoHESR to implement the recommendations in the Ministry’s strategy for the next Academic Year.

Launching ISESCO-WREN-IHESTO Conference on Scientific Research & Development in Universities in Iraq. 

L to R:  Representative/Chairman of Islamic Universities (ISESCO), Dr Ghazi Derwish (IHESTO), Dr Ali Sayigh (Chairman of WREN), Dr Abdul-Azziz Al-Tewajree (Director General of ISESCO), Dr Abbas Al-HUssaini (Secretary General of IHESTO) and Dr Fiag Belal (Head of Sceintific Research at ISESCO)

The above meeting took place in 2009 however due to some difficult circumstances the conference postponed and soon later Her Excellency Sheikha Moza organisation for helping higher education in Iraq kindly offered to host the conference in Doha.  Hence a new organising committee has been set in Doha and two meetings has already taken place.  However more work is suggested in order to achieve successful event.

ISESCO: ISlamic Educational, Sceitific and Cultural Organisatio; WRENUK:  World Renewable Energy Network UK.

Higher education is provided by public and private universities, private colleges, and the 28 institutes operating under the auspices of the Commission of the Technical Institutes. Universities are legal entities in their own right and are controlled by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; an internal administrative council also administers each university. Apart from the private colleges, institutions are financed by the state.

نجاح المقترح العملي لمنظمة اهســتو

حول اقامة ورشــات عمل لتطوير المناهج الدراسية "للفروع الدراسية" لشهادات الدبلوم والماجستير وبرامج البحوث العلمية لشهادات الدكتوراه

انه من المفرح اعلامكم بأن المقترح العملي والبناء لمنظمة اهســتو الذي سبق ان كتبنا لكم عنه قد حصل على التأييد من قبل الوزارة.  فقد وافقة دائرة البحث والتطوير اولا على الاقتراح ومن ثم قبل الاقتراح من قبل السيد وزير التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي د. عبد ذياب العجيلي.  فقد زار السكرتير العام لمنظمة اهســتو الوزارة يوم امس 9 أيلول 2010 وشرح ابعاد الفوائد من المقترح المقدم في تطوير التعاون العلمي والبناء بين الاكاديميين والعلماء والخبراء العراقيين من داخل العراق مع مرادفيهم من خارج العراق.  وقد ايد السيد الوزير مبادرة اهســتو وطلب الاسراع في اجرائها لاهميتها في تطوير المناهج الدراسية وبرامج البحوث  العلمية في العراق.  وقد اقترح ان يســتمر هذا البرنامج ليشمل مواضيع عديدة من الاختصاصات.

دعوة للمشــاركة في مســاعدة طلبة الدراسات العليا (الماجستير والدكتوراه) من الجامعات العراقية لمنح دراسية مدفوعة الأجور من قبل وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي

^{إسنادا لبرنامج المنح الدراسية التي تقدمها وزارة التعليم العالي لطلبة الدراسات العليا من الجامعات العراقية ندعو الأكاديميين والباحثين العراقيين في جامعات المملكة المتحدة أو الأوروبية أو العالمية في تقديم الاستعداد لقبول الطلبة في جامعاتهم وتحت إشرافهم لفترة 3 او 6 أشهر.}

Rebuilding Iraq HE

An Article in University of Westminster Publication in 2004

The Iraq Higher Education Organising Committee (IHEOC), held a conference over three days at the University’s Marylebone Campus.

The conference had three main aims: first, explore the state of Iraqi higher education and research institutions; second, examine the available means and potential for their rehabilitation and development; and third, promote their role in building new free and democratic Iraq.

Dr Al-Hussaini explains how be came to chair the symposium. “Because of my background, I was involved in discussions on industrial reconstruction with the Department of Trade and Industry and British Council,” he says. “But I'm more of an academic than an industrialist so I started to think about how UK higher education can help reconstruct Iraq HE. I felt that there was much we could do, because Iraqi HE is very much based on the UK system.”

Back in the UK, and unsure of how to proceed, Dr Al-Hussaini received encouragement from colleagues within Westminster and began contacting Iraqi academics based at other UK universities.

What he found was a likeminded group of expatriate Iraqis keen to help reconstruct the higher education system of their birthplace.  IHEOC came together in June.

Then in July, Dr Al-Hussaini travelled to Iraq where he met university heads in Baghdad. The Marylebone Campus symposium — organized jointly with the British Council — followed at the beginning of this year. “As well as vice-chancellors from a number of British universities, we attracted presidents or deputies from 12 Iraqi universities as well as academics from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Qatar,” said Dr Al-Hussaini.