Sending Iraqi teaching staff to US universities and schools, says AUIB

INA – BAGHDAD
 
American University in Baghdad - AUIB announced on Wednesday, offering funds to improve education in Iraq. It revealed sending teaching staff to US universities and schools.
 
"There is some good news about the Vanderbilt University project in cooperation with the AUIB to improve education in Iraq," said AUIB Counselor, Michael McClellan, during a meeting attended by the Iraqi News Agency – INA reporter.
 
He noted, "US State Department and the embassy will provide a grant worth two and a half million USD for the program to establish the College of Education and develop the teaching staff in the Ministries of Education.”
 
"AUIB seeks to find the best ways to improve the quality of education in cooperation with Vanderbilt University, which is ranked, 13th in the US universities ranking,” he added.
 
McClellan pointed out that "the specialized team met within a week with a number of school principals and university professors to find solutions for the education problems, in order to integrate Iraqi and American solutions and proposals to produce positive results,"
 
He expressed his thanks to the US State Department and the embassy in Baghdad for the support, as well as the Ministries of Education and Higher Education for joint cooperation.
 
In turn, Ellen Goldring, Executive Associate Dean at Vanderbilt University told – INA reporter that "Vanderbilt University owns distinguished programs. We seek to recruit the best professors and expertise in the field of education.”
 
She highlighted, saying "the distinguish points in the colleges is the focus on the concept of research and its development in the field of knowledge via invention and discovery,” expressing her gratitude for the grant provided in developing the field of education.

In the same context, the Assistant Dean for International Relations at Vanderbilt University, Shaun Griffin, confirmed to INA reporter that "the university has been working with the US State Department to give grants in the field of education for 15 years. It aimed at developing new methods of education," noting that "what we got from the expertise is a product of what we've done in Asian countries like Japan, China and Singapore."
 
For her part, AUIB program officer, Nancy Dixon, said that she is proud of the partnership between Iraq and her country in developing education, “This is what prompts us to establish an experimental trial in the College of Education in order to teach the curriculum that we will adopt,"
 
She explained that "We are seeking to send Iraqi professors to live at Vanderbilt University for two or three weeks and spend time with local schools in order to support the project. We will work with school principals on the program and its development as well."