Namam Palander Master of Arts Sociology in Education

HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY-BUILDING IN THE KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ: PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVES Namam Palander Master of Arts Sociology in Education Comparative, International and Development Education

Research Goal • Examining the perceptions and operational assumptions of university representatives with regard to the new higher education policy-making in Kurdistan. It explores the policy’s first priority, the aim to bridge the gap between quality and quantity in higher education • This will help identify what type of quality culture in higher education is being encouraged and if it will enable higher education to serve as a bridge for Kurdistan to the global knowledge economy

Reforming Teaching to Ensure Quality Source: MoHESR-KRG, 2010

Sub-Questions • How was the quality of higher education during Saddam Hussein’s regime? How different is it now? • How is the new quality culture promoted within institutions of higher education? What are the main elements of such a culture? • How do university representatives react to the new quality policy that aims to reform teaching to achieve quality through quality assurance? Do they adopt, resist or make and shape this quality policy and these quality initiatives?

Methodology • Fieldwork was conducted in one of the universities in the Kurdistan Region (UKR) from April to June 2012 • UKR: the first university to implement the quality assurance procedures • This is a mixed-methods case study

Methods • First interview  The Director of Quality Assurance from the Ministry of HE • Second set of interviews  Nine university representatives selected from UKR • Survey Administrated to a random sample of 305 faculty members that faithfully reflected those in the whole population of 1460, within a 30% range

Findings: Director of QA • QA initiatives are implemented in order to end conventional teaching methods, update resources & meet the demands of the market economy • The Ministry faced many challenges and criticisms from the university representatives about the program • Director views quality in terms of excellence, achieving high academic standards, value for money, judged against return on investment, and as a transformation process

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Discussion: Conceptual Framework • What does quality education means to university representatives? • Newton’s (2007) formal meanings of ‘quality’ in the early 1990s to situated perceptions of ‘quality’ of front-line academics in 2012

Discussion: Conceptual Framework • Used Harvey and Stensaker’s (2008) Weberian ideal-types of quality culture to understand the reality of quality culture for faculty members and the Ministry of HE • Model’s two dimensions: if individual behaviour is group-controlled or if it is prescribed by external rules and regulations • Weberian ideal-types of quality culture: responsive, reactive, regenerative and reproductive modes

The Ministry of HE: Regenerative Mode • Quality culture is internally established • Created its own internal regeneration process • Accountability • Offer different learning opportunities • Different methods of evaluation

Faculty Members: Reactive Mode • Lack of involvement with the external demands • Hesitant to accept most forms of quality evaluation • Favour opportunities where action is connected to reward • Quality culture is externally constructed, directed and imposed • The Ministry has complete ownership

Conclusion • Majority of the university representatives support the new quality policy but oppose the management process • Rigid centralization with some political interference are identified as central issues embedded in the management process

Major Changes Needed • Policy framework: state centric or neoliberal model? • New policy: a mix of neoliberal and neoconservative principles • Lack of clear definition of “quality”

Namam Palander Master of Arts Sociology in Education