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Iraq, which is looking to tackle its lack of innovation and improve university rankings, has announced 40 scholarships for PG and UG Indian students this year.

New Delhi: Iraq is offering educational scholarships to different countries, including India, in an effort to address a lack of innovation in the country and push up its university rankings.

“Unfortunately there have been no famous inventions or scientists from Iraq. We want to change this. We want to push our students to be inventors, and create something special,” said Abdul Razak Al-Essa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

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Speaking to ThePrint on the sidelines of an education summit held at Aerocity, New Delhi, Wednesday, Al-Essa said Iraq has announced almost 600 scholarships from different universities this year to various countries, including India.

Scholarships

The Iraqi government announced 40 scholarships in different subjects and specialties for postgraduate and undergraduate Indian students this year, the first time Iraq launched such a scholarship programme.

The scholarship programme called for applications from April to end of August.

Close to 40 students have registered for the scholarships from India, said Mushtaq Shakir Al-Shibani, cultural counselor at Iraqi Embassy in New Delhi. Free tuition and free hostel accommodation will be offered as part of the scholarship, he added.

“Those who have received scholarships will be preparing for the new academic year starting around November 2018,” said Al-Shibani.

Guaranteeing a safe return for students, Al-Essa said, “Almost (all) Iraqi cities are safe, since we have got rid of (terror organisation) ISIS. We welcome any student to come from India and other countries that are a friend of ours.”

University rankings

As minister in charge of scientific research, Al-Essa said he would like to see technology developments in cybersecurity, aerospace engineering and medicine coming up in Iraq.

At present Iraq has only one university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The University of Baghdad, the lone Iraqi candidate, was placed in the 801-1000 range with “0 per cent” international students at this university as per the 2019 rankings.

“Now we are really looking forward to opening universities in Iraq to international students,” said Al-Essa, adding that Iraqi universities are “looking for a good ranking”.

“That’s the reason why we are bringing people [students] from all over the world,” said Al-Essa.

He added that many Iraqi students come to study in India.

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In 2017, around 2,800 student visas were issued to Iraqi nationals, said the website of the Indian Embassy in Baghdad. It estimated that around 10,000 Iraqi students are currently studying in India.

Al-Essa said more than 90 per cent of Iraqis return after finishing studies in India. The most commonly sought courses include pharmaceutical and medical sciences, engineering sciences in fields like mechatronics and computer sciences.

Acharya Nagarjuna University in the state of Andhra Pradesh is a common choice for Iraqi students, said Al-Shibani.

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