Under the supervision of Umid Khoshnaw, the Governor of Erbil, and with the presence of Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhammed Tahir Herki, the Rector of Erbil Polytechnic University, along with the university’s vice Rector, several members of the university council, general directors, and the director of the environmental services department in Erbil Governorate, World Earth Hour was observed at the first campus of Erbil Polytechnic University.The event was organized by the Aviar Environmental Awareness Organization in coordination with Erbil Polytechnic University and several environmental institutions. It aimed to raise environmental awareness in Kurdistan, particularly in the capital, Erbil. During the event, the lights were turned off for several minutes, and candles were lit to symbolize the occasion.
Then, the Governor of Erbil gave a speech, praising the Aviar Organization, Erbil Polytechnic University, and the organizers of the event. He also appreciated all the institutions, organizations, and activists working to protect the environment in Erbil. He thanked them for their efforts in preserving nature and keeping the environment clean. The Rector of Erbil Polytechnic University talked about the importance of protecting the environment. He also said that the Kurdistan Regional Government took necessary steps to address climate change.
Earth Hour was a global event with participation from more than 150 countries. Every year, it took place worldwide on the last Saturday of March after 8:00 PM.The purpose of this event was to highlight environmental problems that people faced daily. These issues included low environmental awareness in communities, excessive electricity use, too many cars in cities, pollution in public places, waste, air pollution, contamination of drinking water sources, and a lack of strong environmental awareness
The understanding agreement between Porterville College in California and Mergasor Technical Institute, part of Erbil Polytechnic University, ended with a capacity-building training course like a curtain between educators and teachers worldwide. The training course had 70 university teachers, including 60 from Erbil Polytechnic University and 10 from the Soran Independent Education Administration. The course officially continued from November 15, 2024, to March 10, 2025.
The training course was conducted online using the Canvas program and Zoom platform. It had live sessions once a week, and lessons were delivered weekly. The course included five modules: capacity building, designing an effective classroom, teaching and understanding students, delivering impactful lessons, and identifying cultural, economic, social, and systemic barriers to quality education. It also covered educational theories and global pedagogy.
The training materials were in English and translated into Kurdish. Professor Elyssa Quinn from Porterville College delivered the lectures, while Dr. Talib Mohammed Sharif Omar from Mergasor Technical Institute provided support and supervision.The course was a source of happiness and improved the teachers’ skills. It ended successfully, and soon, in a special ceremony, participants would receive an international certificate.
With the participation of Prof.Dr. Edrees Muhamed Tahir Harki, the Rector of Erbil Polytechnic University, Idris Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Rwanga Organization, and several university council members, administrative officials, party representatives, teachers, staff, and students, a tree-planting campaign took place at one of the university’s campuses. This event was organized in coordination between Erbil Polytechnic University and the Rwanga Organization.
Edrees Nechirvan Barzani praised Prof.Dr. Edrees Muhamed Tahir Harki for his efforts in improving the university. He appreciated his dedication to building green spaces and advancing the university, saying that these efforts brought happiness and pride to everyone.
In response, Dr. Edrees Muhamed Tahir Harki thanked Edrees Nechirvan Barzani for the continuous cooperation and for choosing Erbil Polytechnic University for this tree-planting initiative, which aimed to increase greenery on the campus.
Previously, a similar tree-planting campaign had taken place to support environmental protection and expand green areas in the university. This initiative would continue in the future with the cooperation of the Avyar organization for environmental awareness.
Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhamed Tahir Harki, the Rector of Erbil Polytechnic University, welcomed Engineer Naz Jalal, the director of migration and refugees and crisis response in Erbil province, and Sahar Talib, the representative of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in the Kurdistan Region, along with some of their staff. At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Azad Hassan Qadir, the Vice Rector for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Dr. Botan Majid Ahmed, the Vice Rector for Scientific Affairs and Higher Education, Dr. Sarsam Khalil Shawani, the Dean of the Technical Administration College in Erbil, Dr. Hataw Karim, the Director of the Career Development Center, Dr. Abdullah Omer Yasin, the Director of International Relations, Mr. Behzad Helmi Hussein, the Director of the Rector’s Office, and Sarmand Hamid Nasreddin, the Director of Administration and Human Resources, were present.
Prof. Dr. Edrees Muhamed Tahir Herki welcomed the guests and expressed his happiness about the visit of the director of migration and refugees and the representative of ICMPD to the university.The visiting team thanked the Rector for arranging the meeting. They also gave a brief explanation about their work and activities. They stated that the purpose of their visit was to coordinate a series of seminars at the university’s colleges and institutes. These seminars aimed to raise students’ awareness about the risks of illegal migration. Additionally, they planned to organize a special course on CV writing and job searching, which would be offered to university students to help them find jobs after graduation. They also requested to benefit from the experience and expertise of university professors in this field.The Rector confirmed his support for their ideas and initiatives. He emphasized that a university’s role is not only to educate students but also to help solve social problems and contribute to the community.He also mentioned that Erbil Polytechnic University had worked on similar projects before. Last year, they implemented a project to support refugees in the Kurdistan Region by offering special language courses to help them develop their skills.
