Baghdad – INA
Iraqi Minister of Education Abdul Karim Abtan Al-Jubouri met with UNESCO Iraq Office Director Alexandros Makarigakis on Tuesday to discuss expanding cooperation on education reform and aligning educational outcomes with labor market demands.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the meeting was attended by Director General of Cultural Relations Majid Al-Shammari and the Minister’s Office Director Hifzi Al-Halbousi.
The discussions focused on strengthening joint cooperation in education development, education management information systems, quality assurance, staff training, and updating curricula to reflect global developments and the evolving needs of the labor market.
Al-Jubouri described UNESCO as a strategic partner in implementing Iraq’s education reform programs, stressing that the current phase requires broader cooperation to keep pace with global transformations in the education sector, improve the learning environment, and enhance the quality of educational outcomes in line with sustainable development goals and labor market requirements.
He emphasized that investment in education remains the cornerstone of building both human capital and the state.
For his part, Makarigakis outlined UNESCO’s vision for supporting the Ministry of Education’s priorities, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to implementing joint initiatives focused on equitable, high-quality education, technical and vocational education and training reform, expanded access to inclusive education, and future-oriented teaching.
The two sides also discussed renewing the Youth Employment Support Project and expanding it to an additional Iraqi province.
