Education in Iraq

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Education in Iraq is administered by the Ministry of Education.

UNESCO reports that Iraq previously had one of the best educational performances in the Middle Eastern/West Asian region.^[1] In primary school, gross enrollment rate used to be 100%, and literacy levels were high. The illiteracy rate was 20% in 1987.^[2] However, education has suffered since the 1980s and especially the 1990s following the Gulf war, international sanctions, the American occupation, and general instability in the country.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2018, 92% of children were enrolled in primary school.

It is generally agreed upon that before 1980, this Educational system in Iraq was one of the best in the region in addressing both access and equality. However, the situation began to deteriorate rapidly due to several wars and economic sanctions. According to UNESCO’s 2003 Situation Analysis of education in Iraq, the educational system in the Centre/South worsened despite the provision of basics through the Oil for Food Programme.^[5] Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) did not suffer as much due to rehabilitation and reconstruction programs organized through several UN agencies.

Since then, major problems have emerged that are hindering the system and include a lack of resources, the politicization of the educational system, uneven emigration and internal displacement of teachers and students, security threats, and corruption. Illiteracy is widespread in comparison with before, standing at 39% of the rural population. Almost 22% of the adult population in Iraq has never attended school, 46% attended only primary school and a mere 9% have secondary school as the highest level completed. As far as gender equity, 47% of women in Iraq are either fully or partly illiterate, as women’s education suffers from differences across regions, and especially between the North and South.^{[citation needed]}

Since the 2003 invasion and the fall of the former Saddam Hussein regime, Iraqis with the help of international agencies and foreign governments, have been attempting to create frameworks that would begin to address the issues at hand.

According to the 2005 National Development Strategy of Iraq the new vision for Iraq intends to "transform Iraq into a peaceful, unified federal democracy and a prosperous, market-oriented regional economic powerhouse that is fully integrated into the global economy."^[6]

This stems from the fact that the country's economy was mismanaged for 40 years, and a country that once held a bright private sector and an educated population has come to have one of the lowest human development indicators in the region.

The National Development Strategy (NDS) contains four major areas of concentration:

• Strengthening the foundations of economic growth
• Revitalizing the private sector
• Improving quality of life
• Strengthening good governance and security

The major pillar above that includes the category of education is that of "improving quality of life", as "healthy citizens tend to be productive citizens that will be able to take advantage of the opportunities provided in a market-oriented economy."^[7] The exact strategy towards education includes "investing in human capital with a focus on adult literacy, vocational training, and actions to reduce drop-out rates at the primary level".^[8]

Challenges & problems per the current conditions of education in Iraq

There is currently an insufficient supply of schools, and most schools suffer from poor conditions, some of which include:

• Gap of 3590 schools in 2003 resulted in double or triple shifts in school buildings
• About 70% of schools lack clean water and latrines
• Almost 1000 schools are built from mud, straw, or tents
• Poor quality of inputs includes: science labs, libraries, equipment, an outdated curriculum, lack of teacher training and food sources, and staff absenteeism
• Centralized administration
• Insufficient jobs for university graduates, and falling academic standards in many universities^[9]

Since 2003 and the fall of the dictatorial regime, the war against Saddam Hussein and sectarian conflict has further destabilized the education system in Iraq.

• 2751 schools were damaged severely and require rehabilitation, and 2400 schools experienced looting
• Schools in dangerous areas were forced to close for extended periods
• Education personals were targeted, kidnapped, attacked, and or killed^[10]
• Teacher absenteeism and that of girls reached a high level, due to the security threat
• Bombings in Baghdad claimed the lives of 16 students^[11]

Since the bombing at Samar’a in 2006, the displacement of both teachers and students has been another factor in the destabilization of the system.

• ~320,000 students are displaced (200,000 internally)
• ~65% of the displaced are males while girls tend to drop out
• ~20,000 teachers are displaced
• Internal migration patterns vary, which places a burden on the system as it cannot deal with changing demands
• External displacement is located mostly in Jordan (where the students are absorbed into the system, with fees paid by the MOE in Iraq), Syria (where the students continue forward with the Iraqi education system and testing), and Egypt

Current resources devoted to education in Iraq

Since May 2003, international agencies have been involved in supporting education in Iraq, but fragmented data has not allowed these numbers to be integrated into the governmental budget. The United Nations (~US$80 million) and World Bank^[12] have two trust funds that go to help Iraq specifically, while USAID has contracted through the US Supplemental Budget for Iraq. Although these programs are a great beginning, they do not reach the level as assessed by the October 2003 UN/WB Needs Assessment Study ($4.8 billion).

Current Projects financed by the Iraq Trust Fund, include but are not limited to:^{[citation needed]}

• Emergency Textbook Provision Project (US$40 million): Since May 2004, the project is intended to finance and distribute 69 million textbooks for 6 million students spread across all of the governorates for the 2004/05 year.
• Emergency School Construction Rehabilitation Project (US$60 million): Since October 2004, the project is meant to construct 55 school buildings and rehabilitate 133 schools. The rehabilitation of 133 schools is complete, at an average cost of US$181 per student, and benefits 45,000 pupils while creating 3,000 construction jobs.
• Emergency School Construction Rehabilitation Project- Supplemental Grant for Marshland Schools (US$6 million): Since October 2006, the grant provides additional funding for the Emergency School Construction and Rehabilitation Project to construct around 33 new schools in the Marshland areas of Iraq. This would go to benefit between 6,000 and 8,000 children in that region and create near-term employment opportunities within construction. Local stakeholders are involved (i.e. NGOs).
• Third Emergency Education Project (US$100 million): The funds are from the International Development Agency (IDA), in collaboration with the World Bank. This project is in progress as of July 2008 and aims to develop a national school construction and maintenance program as well as offer capacity-building activities.
• A distance learning via satellite television project is underway with UN agencies to produce programs for displaced persons (US$5 million, but not part of the Iraq Trust Fund).

Current actions

Despite endless daily challenges, the education system in Iraq continues to function. Actions thus far^[when?] include but are not limited to:^{[citation needed]}

• 3600 schools rehabilitated
• 120,000 teachers recruited
• Focus on girls' education
• Curriculum reform
• Provision of learning resources
• Distance learning programs for out-of-school children (i.e. in Syria)
• Organizational chart reform
• Increasing collaboration with external partners

Education after the 2003 U.S. invasion

Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority, with substantial international assistance, undertook a complete reform of Iraq's education system. Among immediate goals were the removal of previously pervasive Baathist ideology from curricula and substantial increases in teacher salaries and training programs, which the Ba'athist regime was unable to provide in the 1990s. The new Ministry of Education appointed a national curriculum commission to revise curricula in all subject areas. Because of underfunding by the Hussein regime, in 2003 an estimated 80 per cent of Iraq's 15,000 school buildings needed rehabilitation and lacked basic sanitary facilities, and most schools lacked libraries and laboratories. John Agresto, the Coalition Provisional Authority official tasked with reconstructing the Iraqi university system, asked for $1 billion to rebuild the universities but only received $8 million.^[13]

In the 1990s, school attendance decreased drastically as education funding was cut and economic conditions

Iraq established its education system in 1921 (during the

This social history is confirmed in the efforts of the government to generalize opportunities for basic education throughout the country. Between 1976 and 1986, the number of primary-school students increased by 30 per cent; female students increased by 45 per cent, from 35 to 44 per cent of the total. ^[citation needed] The number of primary-school teachers increased by 40 per cent over this period. At the secondary level, the number of students increased by 46 per cent, and the number of female students increased by 55 per cent, from 29 to 36 per cent of the total. Baghdad, which had about 29 per cent of the population, had 26 per cent of the primary students, 27 per cent of the female primary students, and 32 per cent of the secondary students. ^{[citation needed]}

Education was provided by the government through a centrally organized school system. In the early 1980s, the system included a six-year primary (or elementary) level known as the first level. The second level, also six years, consisted of an intermediate-secondary and an intermediate-preparatory, each of three years. Graduates of these schools could enroll in a vocational school, one of the teacher training schools or institutes, or one of the various colleges, universities, or technical institutes.

The number of students enrolled in primary and secondary schools was highest in the central region of the country and lowest in the north, although the enrollment of the northern schools was only slightly lower than that of the south. Before the war, the government had made considerable gains in lessening the extreme concentration of primary and secondary educational facilities in the main cities, notably Baghdad. Vocational education, which had been notoriously inadequate in Iraq, received considerable official attention in the 1980s. The number of students in technical fields had increased threefold since 1977, to over 120,090 in 1986. ^{[citation needed]}

The Baath regime also seemed to have made progress since the late 1960s in reducing regional disparities, although they were far from eliminated and no doubt were more severe than official statistics would suggest.

With the outbreak of the war, the government faced a dilemma regarding education. Despite the shortage of wartime manpower, the regime was unwilling to tap the pool of available university students, arguing that these young people were Iraq's hope for the future. As of early 1988, therefore, the government routinely exempted students from military service until graduation, a policy it adhered to rigorously.

See also

• List of schools in Iraq
• Violence against academics in post-invasion Iraq

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Education in Iraq.

• UNESCO fact sheet (2003)
• Iraq Reimposes Freeze on Medical Diplomas In Bid to Keep Doctors From Fleeing Abroad
• Iraq Education Sector Scoping Study

This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.