Education system of Iraq and UAE

Name: Reyana Mahran Bader

ID: 201310233

Serial number: #26

Section: 1

Intro

I’ve chosen this topic because I’ve studied in the UAE, and I’m aware of the education system in here, and wanted to know how it is in Iraq.

In this Research I will be comparing between the education sys-tem of Iraq and UAE, their similarities and differences from dif-ferent aspects.

(Education in Iraq)UNESCO reports that prior to the first Gulf War in 1991 Iraq had one of the best educational performances in the region. Primary school Gross Enrollment Rate was 100% and literacy levels were high. Since that time education has suffered as a result of war, sanctions, and instability.

History of education in IraqIraq established its education system in 1921, offering both public and private paths. In the early 1970s, education became public and free at all levels, and mandatory at the primary level. Two ministries manage the education system in Iraq: the Ministry of Education [MOE] and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scien-tific Research [MOHSR]. The Ministry of Education is in charge of pre-school, primary, secondary, and vocational education, while the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research [MOHSR] is in charge of tertiary education and research centers.

Iraq had 3 different eras regarding the education. These eras are:

1. The Golden Years:1970-1984Iraq’s education system was one of the best in the region during this period of time, and highly praised throughout. By 1984, major accomplishments had been achieved, which include but are not limited to:

• Gross Enrollment Rates rising over 100%

• Almost complete gender parity in enrollment

• Illiteracy among 15-45 age group declined to less than 10%

• Dropout/Repetition rates were the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region

• Spending in Education reached 6% of Gross National Product [GNP] and 20% of Iraq’s total government budget

• The average government spending per student for education was ~$620

2. The Decline Years: 1984-1989The 1980s brought about the war with Iran, which in turn led to a diversion of public resources towards military spending. Naturally, this resulted in a steep decline in overall social spending. With this, the education budget suffered from a deficit, which continued to grow as the years passed. There was also no strategic plan in place to address these issues at the time.

3. The Crisis Years: 1990-2003Moreover, the 1990s brought about the first Gulf War and economic sanc-tions, which caused Iraq’s educational institutions to debilitate further. Some of the outcomes of the weakening system included but are not lim-ited to:

• The share of education in the Gross National Product [GNP] dropped to almost half, resting at 3.3% in 2003

• As Gross Income declined, resources for education suffered

• Education came to assume only 8% of the total government budget

• Government spending per student on education dropped from $620 in the ‘Golden Years’ to $47

• Teacher salaries dropped in real terms, from $500–1000/month to $5/month in 2002-2003

• Gross Enrollment in primary schooling dropped to 90%

• The gender gap increased [95% Male, 80% Female]

• The dropout rate reached 20% [31%Female, 18%Male]

• The repetition rate reached a figure that is double that of the MENA re-gion, 15%, and 34% for secondary schools

Current structure and scale of education in IraqIt is generally agreed upon that before 1990, the 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 de-spite the provision of basics through the Oil for Food Programme. Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) did not suffer as much due to rehabilitation and reconstruc-tion programs organized through several UN agencies.

Since then, major problems have emerged that are hindering the system, and include: lack of resources, politicization of the educational system, un-even emigration and internal displacement of teachers and students, secu-rity threats, and corruption. Illiteracy is widespread in comparison with be-fore, standing at 39% for the rural population. Almost 22% of the adult pop-ulation in Iraq has never attended school, and a mere 9% have secondary school as 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.

Since the 2003 invasion and the fall of the former regime [Saddam Hus-sein], Iraqis with the help of international agencies and foreign govern-ments, have been attempting to create frameworks that would begin to ad-dress the issues at hand.

According to the National Development Strategy of Iraq, published on June 30, 2005, the new vision for Iraq intends to:

“Transform Iraq into a peaceful, unified federal democracy and a prosper-ous, market oriented regional economic powerhouse that is fully integrated into the global economy”.

This stems from the fact that the country’s economy has been mismanaged for 40 years, and a country that once held a bright private sector and edu-cated 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 mar-ket-oriented economy’. The exact strategy towards education includes ‘in-vesting in human capital with a focus on adult literacy, vocational training and actions to reduce drop-out rates at the primary level

Education after 2003Following 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 Hussein regime ne-glected in the 1990s. The new Ministry of Education appointed a national curriculum commission to revise curricula in all subject areas. Because of under-funding by the Hussein regime, in 2003 an estimated 80 percent of Iraq’s 15,000 school buildings needed rehabilitation and lacked basic sani-tary facilities, and most schools lacked libraries and laboratories.

In the 1990s, school attendance decreased drastically as education funding was cut and economic conditions forced children into the workforce. After the regime change, the system included about 6 million students in kinder-garten through twelfth grade and 300,000 teachers and administrators. Ed-ucation is mandatory only through the sixth grade, after which a national examination determines the possibility of continuing into the upper grades. Although a vocational track is available to those who do not pass the exam, few students elect that option because of its poor quality. Boys and girls generally attend separate schools beginning with seventh grade. In 2005 obstacles to further reform were poor security conditions in many areas, a centralized system that lacked accountability for teachers and administra-tors, and the isolation in which the system functioned for the previous 30 years. Few private schools exist. (One notable example: The Classical School of the Medes in Northern Iraq.) Prior to the occupation of 2003, some 240,000 persons were enrolled in institutions of higher education. The CIA World Factbook estimates that in 2000 the adult literacy rate was 84 percent for males and 64 percent for females, with UN figures suggest-ing a small fall in literacy of Iraqis aged 15–24 between 2000 and 2008, from 84.8% to 82.4%

(Education in the UAE)Provision of quality education in the United Arab Emirates began shortly after the establishment of the federation with the inception of the first uni-

versity in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates University. Since then, the country has progressed with efforts of ensuring high literacy rates, modern programs and women’s share in education. The UAE cur-rently devotes approximately 25 percent of total federal government spend-ing to education. The overall literacy rate is 90%

Basic education

Public education is free for male and female citizen children through the university level. Begin-

ning in the academic year 2006–7, expatriate students may, for a fee, attend government

schools. The UAE has one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios (28:1) in the world. Education

is compulsory through the ninth grade, although, according to the United States Department of

Education, this requirement is not enforced. Primary school enrollment for males in 2006 stood

at 85% and 82% of females. 97% of entrants reached the 5th grade. Secondary school enroll-

ment figures remained lower at 62% for males although higher for females at 66%. In 2004–5

approximately 9.9 percent of students in grades one through five and 8.3 percent of students in

grades six through nine did not complete their education; this rate rose to 9.3 percent in grades

10–12. According to the CIA World Factbook, total literacy under 15 years in 2003 reached

77.9% between the ages of 15-24, males reached 98% literacy and women 96%.

In 2005, the United Nations Programme on Governance in the Arab Region rated the UAE a .79

on its Education Index. The Programme defines the Index as, “One of the three indices on

which the human development index is build. It is based on the adult literacy rate and the com-

bined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools. Regionally, the coun-

tries scoring higher included the Occupied Palestinian Territories at .89; Libya, Lebanon and

Kuwait at .87; Jordan and Bahrain at .86; and Saudi Arabia at .80. All of the countries ranked in

the index reported a significantly higher number of phones per population than internet users,

with the UAE claiming one hundred twenty eight versus twenty-nine. Internationally, the country

with the highest rating was Australia with a .99 while Burkina Faso stood lowest at .27.

Despite not being among the highest rated on the Education Index, the UAE has made region-

ally significant achievements in ensuring women’s access to education. UNDP’s Millennium De-

velopment Goal No. 3, to “Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women” has reached its tar-

geted levels of female participation in primary education and continues to in-

crease. (See Women in the United Arab Emirates)

Development program The Ministry of Education has adopted “Education 2020,” a series of five-year plans designed

to introduce advanced education techniques, improve innovative skills, and focus more on the

self-learning abilities of students. As part of this program, an enhanced curriculum for mathe-

matics and integrated science was introduced at first-grade level for the 2003–4 academic year

in all government schools.

Recognizing a constant need for progress, the UAE has sought to implement and monitor high

quality education standards by undertaking new policies, programs and initiatives. Throughout

the Middle East, educational advancement is often impeded by insufficient focus on the English

language, inadequate provision of technology as well as modern techniques of instruction and

methodology. Stressing the importance of “modern curricula with assorted and non-monotonous

means of training and evaluation”, the Emirates launched ambitious campaigns to develop each

of these areas. At its foundation, lies the necessary funding, which in 2009 was earmarked at

7.4 billion dirhams ($2 billion), as well as increased teacher training. Through its Teachers of the

21st Century and a two hundred million dirham share of this budget, the UAE hopes to train

10,000 public school teachers within the next five years, while also pursuing its scheduled goal

of reaching 90% Emiratisation of its staff by 2020.

In addition, the UAE government believes that a poor grasp of English is one of the main em-

ployment barriers for UAE nationals; as a first remedial step, the Abu Dhabi Education Coun-

cil has developed the New School Model, a critical-thinking oriented curriculum modeled on that

of New South Wales. This program was unveiled in September, 2010. In February 2006,

the prime minister directed the education minister to take initial steps toward improving the qual-

ity of education, including the provision of permanent classrooms, computer laboratories, and

modern facilities. In April 2007, however, in a major policy speech to the nation, the UAE vice

president and prime minister stated that despite the steady increase in the education bud-

get over the previous 20 years, teaching methods and curricula were obsolete, and the educa-

tion system as a whole was weak. He demanded that the ministers of education and higher edu-

cation work to find innovative and comprehensive solutions.

In early 2008, the UAE’s Ministry of Education launched a Mentoring Programme which assigns

Western principals to 50 of 735 public schools across the UAE in an effort to modernize instruc-

tional strategies and implement Western methods of learning. Participating instructors empha-

size necessity of deviating from the traditional methods of passive memorization and rote learn-

ing instead of encouraging active student participation

Higher education

At the tertiary level, numerous institutions are available to the student body. In 1976, the United

Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was established in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Consisting of

nine colleges, it is considered by the UAE government to be the leading teaching and research

institution in the country. More than 14,000 students were enrolled at UAEU in the first semester

of the academic year 2006–7.

In 1983, Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) was established. The In-

stitute has two campuses, at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, and a third campus is being built in Dubai.

The Institute is currently offering a Higher Banking Diploma program, an Islamic Banking

Diploma program, etc. and host of other training programs in the area of banking and insurance.

In 1988 the first four Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) were opened, in Abu Dhabi and Al

Ain. By the academic year 2014-15, 17 campuses offered more than 75 programs, with a com-

bined enrollment of more than 17,000 men and women. The commercial arm of the HCT, the

Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training, is allied with multinational compa-

nies to provide training courses and professional development. In 1998, Zayed University was

opened, initially for women only, with campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. A US$100.7 million

purpose-built campus in Dubai opened in 2006. Zayed University accepted select groups of

male students starting in 2008, and now has a significant number of male students.

American University in Dubai opened its doors in 1995 to join the successful ranks of its much

older regional counterparts in Cairo and Beirut. Dubai is a center for several international univer-

sities, including branches of the U.S.-based universities Michigan State Univer-

sity and Rochester Institute of Technology. Another institution based on American-style higher

education, the American University in the Emirates opened in 2006. Through free zones desig-

nated for educational institutions (Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Vil-

lage), Dubai also hosts many universities from other countries, including India, Pakistan, and

the U.K.

In Abu Dhabi, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) opened the first branch of an accredited

U.S. university in 2005. Another New York-based institution, New York University (NYU), ac-

cepted its first class of students to its Abu Dhabi campus in fall 2010. After seven hundred years

and a very distinguished record in Paris, Université Paris-Sorbonne opened its first campus

abroad in Abu Dhabi in 2006. Although its focus is largely on the arts and humanities, Emi-

rati students attending international universities locally commonly prefer business, science, en-

gineering and computers programs.

The UAE's first medical school, Gulf Medical University, opened in 1998 in the Emirate of Aj-

man. It welcomes both genders and all nationalities. Originally known as Gulf Medical College, it

expanded in 2008 to include dentistry, pharmacy and other programs in association with

the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

In 2003 Dubai established a dedicated education zone, Dubai Knowledge Village. The 1 km

long campus brings together globally recognized international universities, training centers, e-

learning, and research and development companies in one location. As of early 2007, it had at-

tracted 16 international university partners, which include Saint-Petersburg State, University of

Engineering and Economics, University of Wollongong, Mahatma Gandhi University, and the

Manchester Business School. Some of these institutions have since moved to a larger free zone

in Dubai, Dubai International Academic City.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is the government ministry concerned

with higher education. The Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), a department in the

Ministry, licenses institutions and accredits degree programmes. Institutions based in free zones

do not need to seek CAA approval.

ConclusionUltimately, in accordance with the above information, there appear to be massive chal-lenges to tackle within the Iraqi educational system. The system was obviously one of the best in the region in the 1980s, and with the correct steps can reach those levels once again. The conflict-state of the country however, presents the main challenge to the Iraqi government and international community in its reconstruction efforts. Inherited problems from the past regime, such as a centralized, inefficient management/adminis-trative system, poor school conditions, an insufficient supply of schools, poor quality school inputs, lack of teachers and teacher training must be addressed. Post 2003 war issues such as security and displacement, often common in conflict zones, must also be dealt with. This is not an easy task, nor one that can be accomplished over night, but with the help of the international community and dedication of the Iraqi people, it is pos-sible. While on the other hand the education system of UAE has been improving day by day since it started. I believe in few years, when we are close to 2020 Expo, UAE will have one of the best education systems according to the global standards. I Wish Iraq would be able to do the same thing soon.