Kirkuk University wins The Asia Award 2019 for outstanding support for students
University of Kirkuk wins 2019 The Asia Awards for Outstanding Support for students, May 2019. Photo: theawardsasia.com
ABU DHABI,— The University of Kirkuk has won an award from Times Higher Education (THE) for outstanding student support because of its actions to provide places for displaced students.
One of the world’s leading providers of data on universities, THE announced its 2019 awards for universities in Asia on its website on Wednesday.
The University of Kirkuk was recognized for opening its doors to displaced students from seven other universities, which had to suspend operations due to the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq.
The THE statement said: years of fierce fighting to free Iraq from the control of Islamic State meant that many students were unable to pursue their education in their home provinces.
Throughout the extended crisis period, the University of Kirkuk stepped into the breach and opened its doors to displaced students from seven other institutions: the University of Mosul, Tikrit University, the University of Anbar, the University of Fallujah, Nineveh University, the University of Al-Hamdaniya and Tel-Laefer University.
This required Kirkuk to coordinate support from governmental and civil society organisations in order to provide food and accommodation, as well as facilities such as laboratories and libraries, for tens of thousands of extra students.
The university ensured that students’ experiences were considered in academic events about national identity, “the crisis of displacement” and the role of legal initiatives in relieving suffering.
It also explored ways of building harmony and fellowship between local Kirkuk and displaced students, and seeing that the latter took part in the full range of extracurricular activities.
Over and above all this, the University of Kirkuk strived to alleviate the wider humanitarian crisis by organising blood donation programmes for members?of the many military groups who were wounded in the struggle against IS.
“Sometimes, extraordinary circumstances bring about extraordinary acts of humanity,” the judges said.
“Kirkuk University won this category against strong competition simply for its response to extreme adversity – for four years, the university provided not just education but housing, food and emotional support for thousands of students displaced from terrorist-occupied and war-torn areas of Iraq.”
Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | theawardsasia.com | nrttv.com
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