Amman, Oct. 11 (Petra) -- Minister of Education and Human Resources Development Azmi Mahafzah met on Sunday with a high-level Iraqi delegation comprising presidents of Iraqi technical universities and officials from Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to expand bilateral academic, scientific, and vocational training cooperation.

During the meeting, Mahafzah commended the historical ties between Jordan and Iraq and highlighted the academic achievements of Iraqi universities. He provided an overview of Jordan's higher education system, noting that it includes 10 public universities, 21 private universities, and 78 higher education institutes, serving approximately 470,000 enrolled students across 644 academic programs.

Mahafzah outlined Jordan's strategic shift toward applied and technical education to align learning outcomes with dynamic labor market demands, detailing the establishment of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development as part of Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision and public sector reform roadmap.

The Iraqi delegation, led by President of Middle Technical University Waddah Hatem alongside presidents from Southern, Northern, and Al-Furat Al-Awsat technical universities, commended the advanced standing of Jordanian higher education institutions in applied learning. They presented ongoing reforms in Iraq's technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector aimed at modernizing curricula and addressing labor market requirements.

Discussions focused on facilitating student and faculty exchanges, joint research initiatives, mutual university admissions, and expanding scholarship frameworks such as the "Study in Iraq" program. Both sides also explored collaboration in quality assurance, academic accreditation, female empowerment in technical fields, and curriculum development in high-demand disciplines, including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

The two parties agreed to form a joint committee to coordinate future cooperation, activate existing academic memorandums of understanding into practical initiatives, and maintain continuous engagement with Jordan's Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (HEAC).

The visit was facilitated by the Tawasal project, which supports the development of Iraq's technical and vocational training ecosystem by fostering regional knowledge transfer and institutional capacity building.

//Petra// AF