Opened on Thursday under the auspices of KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Middle East Education, Technology, Students Congress Exhibition in Erbil is hosting 25 universities and institutions from across the Middle East. The fair aims to improve the quality of higher education across Iraq. "I hope this fair will become a good opportunity to resolve issues gripping the higher education system across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," Dr. Aram Mohammed, KRG Higher Education Minister said at the opening speech of the fair on Thursday. "If we want to have an advanced economy, a prosperous society and a stable political and social system, we have to invest more in developing [the education system]," Mohammed said. “We have to pay more attention to technical and vocational studies and connect our studying programs to the labor market, sectors of society, business and industries,” he added. Panel events at the fair are bringing officials and students together to discuss ways of improving the Region and country’s education system. The four-day fair ends at 6pm on Sunday, September 8.
