On 17th and 18th December, the final conference of the TeachersMOD project, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at modernizing teacher education and professional development, was hosted by Salahaddin University-Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The event brought together more than 70 attendees, from both partners and non-partner institutions among University Presidents, Basic Education Colleges Deans and academic staff from Kurdish universities, staff from the Kurdish Pedagogic Centres, and featuring also representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The scope of event was to celebrate the project’s achievements and share the outcomes of its two-year journey, and share insights on how to move forward in the path of improvement and modernisation of higher education institutions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, in close collaboration with stakeholders.
The TeachersMOD project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, was designed to equip teachers and educators with the skills and resources necessary to navigate the rapidly evolving educational landscape. Its main objectives were to enhance the capacity of the Basic Education Colleges in each Kurdish beneficiary institution, with the long-term outcome of improving the general Regional standard of primary education. Connection between primary education and higher education is intended as a continuous process in which institutions, schools and educators at all levels must learn from each other.
During the Final Conference, project leaders presented key findings, emphasizing the contribution of the TeachersMOD project to the enhancement of teaching methodologies and approaches, and the modernization of the syllabi at the Colleges of Basic Education, thanks to the many capacity building activities carried throughout the lifetime of the project, such as the Field visits in Vila Real, in Granada, in Pavia, besides the Training of Trainees in Kurdish universities and the creation of a Massive Online Open Course on Innovative teaching methodologies which will stay as a project legacy to Kurdish institutions.
Among the main outcomes of the interventions during the event, speakers highlighted: the need for more flexibility of the Kurdish educational system, so as to allow more responsive institutions and to allow universities to act and interact; the willingness to keep working on the curricula to respond to the changing needs of students, with particular attention to special needs; and the necessity of a more structured collaboration with the university Pedagogic Centres for new shared approaches and teaching/learning tools.
A major highlight of the Conference was the presentation of a Sustainability Plan to ensure that beneficiary and non-beneficiary universities can continue to benefit from the project results.
The TeachersMOD Final Conference marked a fitting end to a project that has set the stage for a more innovative and globally connected generation of Kurdish educators.
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