Shaping the future of generations in Kurdistan is what the newly opened SABIS^® College of Education in Erbil, Iraq intends to achieve. The opening ceremony, which was held recently, comes on the heels of the license issued by the Kurdish Regional Government to SABIS^® to open and operate a college geared at educating tomorrow’s teachers.

The ceremony took place in the presence of His Excellency, Dr. Idris Hadi Salih, Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, other ministers, high-ranked government officials, school principals, parents, and students. The Minister and his team were welcomed by Mr. Carl Bistany, the President of SABIS^® Educational Services, Mr Sabah Qadir, Director General of Froble Company for Educational Services, and the College Dean, Dr Francois du Toit.

In a speech addressing those gathered for the celebration, Mr. Bistany took the opportunity to thank all those who participated in making the opening ceremony a great success. "Today's inauguration is the result of the foresight of Prime Minister Barzany and the focus of key ministries in the Kurdistan Regional Government on the goal of shaping Kurdistan’s future through education." Mr. Bistany also welcomed the College Dean, Dr. du Toit, who in his turn praised the project: "I would like to thank the Kurdish people for entrusting SABIS^® with the teaching of their offspring and committed SABIS^® to offering the Kurdish people the best possible education available."

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Minister and his team were taken on a tour of facilities including the recently opened, state-of-the-art computer center, the cafeteria, and the student recreation center. The tour also included classrooms where a few of the interactive English programs were demonstrated. The Minister also had the chance to meet with the instructors and converse with the students.

The opening of the SABIS^® College of Education is a promising move for the future of Kurdistan as it will equip individuals with the knowledge and tools to become competent teachers who can raise the educational standards in the region. The College will operate in temporary facilities provided by the Kurdish government for nearly two years until construction of a state-of-the-art campus, which is currently underway, is completed.

Over the past 120+ years, SABIS^® has become a leader in the world of education management. SABIS^® currently operates pre- and K-12 schools in 15 countries on four continents and educates 47,000 students. With the newly opened College of Education, SABIS^® will provide a solid post-secondary education to individuals who will go on to share the successful SABIS^® approach with children for decades to come.