The Strategic Signification of the University Independence and its Impact on the Quality of Educational Output, Reconnaissance Survey About University of Technology - Iraq

Abstract

The independence of the university and academic freedom it became one of the important basics for establishing universities in the modern era, as most universities with high rankings at the global level are independent this has a great influence on the quality of education and scientific research in it. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Iraq it took an enterprising and courageous step by granted The University of Technology independence in 2017, and University of Babylon in 2018 at a time when the university education sector is has a remarkable expansion in the level of public and private universities to accommodate the growing numbers of students. And for the importance of this case and measuring its decisions and its effects on higher education systems, the current research was conducted with the aim of studying the strategic signification of the university independence and its impact on the quality of educational output, Emphasis has been placed on a number of outputs of the educational process: Qualitative level of graduates, scientific research,  scientific promotions, The reputation of the educational institution and the satisfaction of the beneficiaries, cultural exchange, and the rate of graduates who will have jobs.

The research was based on interviewing a number of leaders, directors and education staff at the University of Technology and Distributing a questionnaire prepared for this purpose, which includes examining a group of specific and focused questions on strategic visions concept of independence and its impact on the chosen educational outputs, and The most important steps taken by the university and plans for implementation, and revealed what are the most important obstacles that face it that could affect the quality of educational outputs. Among the most prominent results of the research was the existence of a strong impact relationship between the independence of the university and the rate of graduates who will have jobs in the first place, followed by both the reputation of the educational institution and the satisfaction of the beneficiaries, cultural exchange, then scientific research, followed by the qualitative level of graduates, and finally scientific promotions. The research also made several recommendations, the most important of which is the necessity of issuing regulations, authorities, and instructions clarifying and organizing the concept of university's independence to protect the university and elements related to educational outputs such as students and faculty members. And activating academic freedom and expressing the opinion of the lecturers and the students as a practice of independence, while clarifying the limits and controls that govern them. And develop solutions to remove obstacles and obstacles to implementing independence in Iraqi public universities