First Day of "Education, Peace, and Equality" Conference Held at Koya University

Education, Peace, and Equality" Conference - a joint project of the Network for Education, Peace and Politics, Koya University, and Ulster University - launched its first day of activities following the opening ceremony at Koya University.

On Tuesday, 18th of February 2025 , the first day of activities for the "Education, Peace, and Equality" Conference - a joint project between Koya University, Ulster University, and the Network for Education, Peace and Politics - was held at Koya University.

The day began with the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Iraq and the Kurdish national anthem "Ey Reqîb," followed by a moment of silence in honor of the martyrs of Kurdistan.

Afterward, the opening remarks for the first day of the conference were presented by Dr. Kelsey Shanks and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sherko Kermanj.

Later, the President of Koya University, Asst. Prof. Dr. Mohammed Haseeb Sedeeq, delivered a speech.

Following that, Prof. Dr. Saida Affouneh, as the keynote speaker of the first panel, presented several remarks. The first panel then officially began, moderated by Prof. Dr. Kelsey Shanks, with presentations from Prof. Dr. Saida Affouneh, Mr. Kunay Kiir, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sherko Kirmanj, and Prof. Dr. Qabas Hasan.

Afterwards, the conference discussions began, featuring a variety of dialogues and exchanges as outlined below:

The first discussion session, titled "Education, Social Justice and Representation in Post-Conflict Iraq," was moderated by Birgul Kutan and featured discussions on the following topics:

"The Right to Education in Iraq: Minority Groups and Representative Education (English)" authored by Kelsey Shanks, Kamaran Palani, and Khidher Domle.

"Stories of Women Displaced by ISIS: A Social Justice Perspective on the Educational Experiences of Young Women in Iraq" authored by Jumana Al-Waeli.

"Narrative Learning and Minority Representation: Analyzing Kurdish Studies Textbooks in Early Education within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq" authored by Mustafa Wshyar.

The topic "Innovative Educational Programs as a Tool for Reintegration of Children from Camps: A Study of Al-Jadaa 1 Camp" was presented by Khairullah Sabhan Abdullah.

The second discussion session, titled "Inclusive Education: Addressing Challenges and Promoting Peace," was moderated by Mr. Kuany Kiir and included the following presentations:

"A Critical Analysis of School Leaders' Perspectives and Practices of Social Justice Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq" by Nidal Alhaj Sleiman.

"Violence in Schools and Its Implications for Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Students: The Role of Community Actors in Promoting an Inclusive Education" by Innocent Uche Anazia.

"Challenges in the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Primary Schools in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq" by Halmat F. D. Mahmood.

"Improving Leadership Practices of Public High School Teachers in Egypt in Light of Ethical Leadership"by Ahmed Abdelhamid Salman.

The third discussion session, titled "The Role of Curriculum in the (Non)Violence, Peace, and Coexistence Nexus," was moderated by Jumana Al-Waeli and featured the following presentations:

"Violence in Curriculum Programs: History and Islamic Education in Kurdistan Region School Textbooks"by Sherko Kirmanj and Paiman Z. Azeez.

"The Role of Educational Curricula in Promoting a Culture of Religious Moderation" by Miran H. Hassan.

"The Militarization of Education in Iraq and the Production of Warriors" by Bahman T. Nariman.

"Peacebuilding within Multiple Local-Led Curriculums: A Case Study of Kirkuk" by Ahmed A. Muhammad.

"The Role of the Curriculum in Promoting Peace and Coexistence in Society: The Books of the Third Circle of Education as an Example" by Sdiq A. Ali.

Thus, the activities of the first day of the conference came to an end

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Koya University (KOU) is located in the city of Koya (Koy Sanjaq) which is 1.0 hr drive to the East of the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil (Arbil, Hewlér) in Kurdistan Region of F.R. Iraq. It is on the foothills of a beautiful high mountain. Its campus has been carefully laid out to embrace the beautiful mountainous nature.

There are 4 Faculties and 2 Schools in KOU; Faculty of Engineering (FENG), Faculty of Science and Health (FSCH), Faculty of Education (FEDU), Faculty of Humanities and Social Silences (FHSS), Shcool of Physical Education (SPHE) and School of Medicine (SMED).

Also, there are two research centers; Genome Center and Malai Gawra Center. Moreover, at KOU there is an English Language Center (BELC) at KOU has been opened with the sponsorship of IREX and American embassy in Baghdad as well as with the support of Spring International Language Center of The University of Arkansas. KOU has two Scientific Journals; ARO-The Scientific Journal of Koya University, which is indexed by Clarivate Analytics (ESCI), and Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (KUJHSS). KOU is a proactive member of Erasmus/ Marhaba Project and Erasmus+.

KOU signed many Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with many International Universities, e.g., The University of Arkansas (June 2015). The Lulea University in Sweden (April 2014), The University of Nottingham in the UK, The University of Buckingham in the UK (Oct 2008), Belkin University in Turkey (Sep 2009) The University of Greenwich in the UK, Cihan University-Erbil (2021) and Tishk International University (2021).

Koya University is a memebr of The Association of Arab Universities and the International Association of Universities.

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