school survey 2003-2004 volume ii (analytical report) · ii iraq school survey 2003-2004: volume ii...

VOLUME TWO ANALYTICAL REPORT

Republic of Iraq Ministry of Education

جمھوریة العراق وزارة التربیة

In collaboration with UNICEF

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SCHOOL SURVEY 2003-2004VOLUME TWO

ANALYTICAL REPORT

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Iraq School Survey 2003-2004: Volume II Analytical Report

FOREWORD

On behalf of the Ministry of Education, I am pleased to present Volume II of the school Survey report. This survey was carried out across Iraq for the academic year 2003-2004, and provides an analysis of the basic data presented in Volume I of the survey report released earlier in September 2004. Volume I contained a comprehensive set of tables describing a wide range of education statistics covering schools, buildings, students, and teachers for the kindergarten, primary, secondary, vocational, teachers institute and alternative education sectors.

This volume II presents an analysis and interpretation of the data which is expected to be of particular interest and practical use for the policy makers, programme planners and operational managers not only for the Ministry of Education but also other international/national partners at the central, governorate, and district levels involved in the reconstruction of the education sector in Iraq. It will also be of interest to the Ministry’s development partners and to policy makers and planners in other sectors.

This report presents findings that demonstrate the high value that Iraqi families, communities and government place on education. This is particularly true of primary education where Iraq’s indicators of access and participation are in the top rank amongst Arab states. The report also notes the many challenges that confront educational reconstruction. It will be our joint endeavor to meet these challenges in well planned and coordinated manner so that together, we can contribute to the nation’s economic, social, and human resource development in the coming year.

In addition to volume I and II, volume III which is expected to be released shortly, will provide thematic maps illustrating the spatial distribution of schools, as well as some selected key education indicators.

The contribution of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in the implementation, analysis and dissemination of the school survey and its reports in 3 volumes is highly appreciated. I would also like to record my deep appreciation for the efforts of all the staff of the Ministry of Education who contributed to the preparations, implementations and finalization of this important survey and its associated reports.

H.E. Prof. Dr. Sami Al-Mudaffar The Minister of Education, Baghdad, Iraq February, 2005

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GLOSSARY

Drop out rate: The percentage of students who drop out from a given grade or level of educationin a given school year.

Enrolment: Number of pupils or students enrolled in a given level of education, regardless ofage. See also gross enrolment ratio and net enrolment ratio.

Entrance age (official): Age at which pupils or students would enter a given programme or levelof education assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level ofeducation, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system withoutrepeating or skipping a grade. Note that the theoretical entrance age to a given programme orlevel may be very different from the actual or even the typical or most common entrance age.

Gender parity index (GPI): Ratio of female-to-male value of a given indicator. A GPI of 1indicates parity between sexes; a GPI that varies between 0 and 1means a disparity in favour ofboys; a GPI greater than 1 indicates a disparity in favour of girls.

Grade: Stage of instruction usually covered in one school year.

Gross enrolment ratio (GER): Number of pupils enrolled in a given level of education,regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population in the relevant official age group.Note that GER can be higher than 100% as a result of grade repetition and entry at younger andolder ages than the typical grade-level age.

Gross intake rate (GIR): Number of new entrants into first grade of primary education,regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population of official entrance age to primaryeducation.

Lower secondary education: Generally designed to continue the basic programmes of theprimary level. Teaching at lower secondary level is typically more subject focused, requiringmore specialized teachers for each subject area. The end of this level often coincides with theend of compulsory education.

Net enrolment ratio (NER): Number of pupils in the official age group for a given level ofeducation enrolled in that level expressed as a percentage of the total population in that agegroup.

Net intake rate in primary education (NIR): Number of pupils at the official school entranceage who are new entrants into the first grade of primary education, expressed as a percentage ofthe population of official admission age to primary education.

New entrants: Pupils entering primary education for the first time.

Pre-primary education: Refers to programmes at the initial stage of organized instruction, whichare primarily designed to introduce very young children, usually from age 3or so, to a school-type environment, i.e. to provide a bridge between home and school. Such programmes arevariously referred to as infant education, nursery education, pre-school education, kindergarten,or early childhood education.

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Primary education: Sometimes called elementary education, refers to educational programmesthat are normally designed on a unit or project basis to give pupils a sound basic education inreading, writing and mathematics along with an elementary understanding of other subjects suchas history, geography, natural science, social science, art and music. In some cases religiousinstruction is also featured. Synonym: primary schooling.

Repetition rate by grade: Proportion of pupils enrolled in a given grade in a given school-yearwho are repeating that grade.

School-age population: Population of the age group which officially corresponds to the relevantlevel of education, whether enrolled in school or not.

Student: Refers to a young person who is enrolled in an educational programme. Synonym:pupil.

Student/teacher ratio (STR): Average number of students per teacher at the level of educationspecified in a given school year. When data are available the calculation of the student/teacherratio is based on teachers and pupils expressed in full-time equivalent.

Survival rate: Percentage of a cohort of students who enroll in the first grade of an educationcycle in a given school year and who reach a given grade either with or without repeating agrade.

Teacher or teaching staff: Number of persons employed full-time or part-time in an officialcapacity for the purpose of guiding and directing the learning experience of pupils and students,irrespective of his/her qualification or the delivery mechanism, i.e. whether face-to-face and/or ata distance. This definition excludes educational personnel who have no active teaching duties(e.g. headmasters, headmistresses or principals who do not teach) or who work occasionally or ina voluntary capacity in educational institutions (e.g. parents).

Trained teacher: Teacher who has received the minimum organized teacher training (pre-serviceor in service) required for teaching at the relevant level in a given country.

Transition rate to secondary education: Number of students admitted to the first grade ofsecondary education in a given year, expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils enrolledin the final grade of primary of education in the previous year.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................xi

SECTION 1:INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Introduction..............................................................................................................17Background ..............................................................................................................18

Contextual Factors ............................................................................................18Education Indicators .........................................................................................18Pre-Primary School...........................................................................................19Primary School .................................................................................................19Secondary School .............................................................................................20Education Development Index..........................................................................20Summary...........................................................................................................20

SECTION 2:MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE EDUCATION SURVEY

Population.................................................................................................................22

Kindergarten SectorSchools and Buildings ......................................................................................23Enrolment..........................................................................................................23Student/Teacher Ratios .....................................................................................25Teachers’ Qualifications ...................................................................................25In-Service Training ...........................................................................................26Teachers’ Age Distribution...............................................................................27Student/Classroom Ratios.................................................................................28Summary...........................................................................................................28

Primary Schools SectorSchools and Buildings ......................................................................................28Net Intake Rate .................................................................................................29Enrolment..........................................................................................................30Gross Enrolment Ratios ....................................................................................34Net Enrolment Ratios........................................................................................38Repetition Rates................................................................................................41Dropout Rates ...................................................................................................42Survival Rates ...................................................................................................43Transition Rates ................................................................................................46Student/Teacher Ratios .....................................................................................48Teachers’ Qualifications ...................................................................................48

CONTENTSxi

17 8522 82

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In-Service Training ...........................................................................................49Teachers’ Age Distribution...............................................................................50Student/Classroom Ratios.................................................................................50Summary...........................................................................................................50

Secondary School SectorSchools and Buildings ......................................................................................51Enrolment..........................................................................................................51Gross Enrolment Ratios ....................................................................................53Net Enrolment Ratios........................................................................................55Repetition Rates................................................................................................56Dropout Rates ...................................................................................................60Survival Rates ...................................................................................................61Student Teacher Ratios .....................................................................................63Teachers’ Qualifications ...................................................................................65In-Service Training ...........................................................................................66Teachers’ Age Distribution...............................................................................66Student Classroom Ratios.................................................................................67Summary...........................................................................................................67

Vocational School SectorSchools and Buildings ......................................................................................68Enrolment..........................................................................................................69Repetition and Dropout Rates...........................................................................70Teachers ............................................................................................................71Teachers’ Qualifications ...................................................................................72In-Service Training ...........................................................................................72Teachers’ Age Distribution...............................................................................73Classrooms........................................................................................................73Summary...........................................................................................................73

Institute SectorSchools and Buildings ......................................................................................74Enrolment..........................................................................................................75Repetition and Dropout Rates...........................................................................77Teachers ............................................................................................................77Teachers’ Qualifications ...................................................................................78In-Service Training ...........................................................................................79Teachers’ Age Distribution...............................................................................79Classrooms........................................................................................................80Summary...........................................................................................................80

Yafi’een School Sector.............................................................................................80

SECTION 3:PROJECTED GROWTH OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Population Projection ..............................................................................................82Development Scenarios

Scenario 1 .........................................................................................................83Scenario 2 .........................................................................................................84

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SECTION 4: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary...................................................................................................................85 The Kindergarten Sector...................................................................................85 The Primary Sector ...........................................................................................86 The Secondary Sector .......................................................................................88 Quality of Education.........................................................................................88 Vocational and Institute Sectors .......................................................................89 The Yafi’een Sector ..........................................................................................89 Strategic Plan ....................................................................................................90

Recommendations ...........................................................................................................90

Tables

Table 1: Selected Comparative Education Indicators (%) for 2000 for the Middle East and North Africa …….…………………….....19

Table 2: Kindergarten Enrolments by DOE, Location and Sex in 2003/04 …………………………….……………..23

Table 3: Kindergarten GER by Governorate, Location and Sex in 2003/04 ………………………………….……...24

Table 4: Kindergarten NER by Governorate, Location and Sex in 2003/04 ………………………………….……...24

Table 5: Kindergarten Student/Teacher Ratios by DOE and Location in 2003/04 ……………………………………….25

Table 6: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualification in 2003/04 ………………………….….26

Table 7: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers who have received In-Service Training as at 2003/04 ……………………….…….26

Table 8: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers who were less that 35 Years-of Age in 2003/04 …………………………….……..27

Table 9: Kindergarten Student/Classroom Ratios in 2003/04 ……………….………...28

Table 10: Primary School NIR by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………………………………….……29

Table 11: Primary School Enrolments by DOE and Grade for 2003/04 ……………………………………….………31

Table 12: Primary School Enrolments by DOE, Gender, and Location for 2003/04 ……………………………………….31

Table 13: Primary School GER by Governorate, Gender and Location for 2003/04 ………………………………….……35

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Table 14: Primary School NER by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……………………………….………38

Table 15: Estimated Primary School Survival Rates by DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………………………….……...44

Table 16: Estimated Transition Rates from Primary to Lower Secondary by DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……………..….…...46

Table 17: Student Teacher Ratios by DOE for 2003/04 …………………………….…...48

Table 18: Proportion of Primary School Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualification in 2003/04 …………………………....48

Table 19: Proportion of Primary School Teachers who have received in-service Training as at 2003/04 ……………………………49

Table 20: Proportion of Primary School Teachers who were less than 35 Years-of Age in 2003/04 …………………………………50

Table 21: Primary School Student/Classroom Ratio by Location …..…………..….…...50

Table 22: Enrolment in Secondary School by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………………………...…...52

Table 23: Secondary School GER by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 …………………………………..…53

Table 24: Secondary School NER by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……………………………….….…55

Table 25: Secondary School Repetition Rates by DOE and Grade for 2003/04 ……..…………………………...…….…57

Table 26: Secondary School Dropout Rates by DOE, Grade and Location 2003/04 …………………………………...….…60

Table 27: Secondary School Dropout Rates by DOE, Grade and Gender 2003/04 ………………………………..….….…60

Table 28: Secondary School Estimated Survival Rates for 2003–2004 ………….…………………………..……...…62

Table 29: Secondary School Student Teacher Ratios for 2003–2004 …………………………………..…….…..…64

Table 30: Proportion of Secondary School Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualification in 2003/04 ………..…………………65

Table 31: Proportion of Secondary School Teachers who have received in-service Training as at 2003/04 ……………………………..66

Table 32: Proportion of Secondary School Teachers who were less than 35 Years-of Age in 2003/04 …..…………………………..66

Table 33: Secondary School Student Classroom Ratios for 2003-2004 …..….……………………………..…….…67

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Table 34: Vocational Schools: Number of Schools, Students and Teachers by Specialization and Gender in 2003-2004 …………………..…68

Table 35: Vocational Student Enrolment aged between 15 and 21 by Location, Gender and DOE ………………………….….....69

Table 36: Vocational Students: Enrolment, Repetition and Dropout by Grade for 2003-2004 ………………………….….......71

Table 37: Vocational School Teachers by DOE and Gender for 2003-2004 ……..………………………………………71

Table 38: Proportion of Vocational School Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualification in 2003/04 ………..……………..…72

Table 39: Proportion of Vocational School Teachers who have received in-service Training as at 2003/04 …………..……..…………..72

Table 40: Proportion of Vocational School Teachers who were less than 35 Years-of Age in 2003/04 ……………………………..73

Table 41: Institutes: Number of Schools, Students and Teachers by Specialization and Gender in 2003-2004 …………………..…...74

Table 42: Institute Enrolment by DOE, Location and Gender for 2003-2004 ………………………………...….……75

Table 43: Institute Enrolment by Grade and Gender ……..……………….…………………….…………..76

Table 44: Institute Enrolment, Repetitions and Dropouts by DOE for 2003-2004 …………………….……………….......77

Table 45: Institute Teachers by DOE and Gender for 2003-2004 ……....………………………………..……....…78

Table 46: Proportion of Institutes Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualification in 2003/04 ……………....……………..…78

Table 47: Proportion of Institutes Teachers who have received in-service Training as at 2003/04 …………..……………………..79

Table 48: Proportion of Institutes Teachers who were less than 35 Years-of Age in 2003/04 …………………………………..79

Table 49: Summary of Critical Indicators for Two Development Scenarios …………………………………..….…...…83

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FiguresFigure 1: Primary School NIR by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ....…30Figure 2: Primary Enrolments by DOE for 2003/04 …….……………….……..……....32Figure 3: Primary Enrolments by DOE and Location for 2003/04 ……..…….………...32Figure 4: Primary Enrolments by DOE and Gender for 2003/04 …..………..……...….33Figure 5: Primary Enrolments by Grade for 2003/04 …………………………...……....33Figure 6: Primary School Enrolments by Location and Grade for 2003/04 …..…...…..34Figure 7: Primary School Enrolments by Grade and Gender for 2003/04 ……...…..….34

Figure 8: Distribution of Male and Female GER by Governorate and Location for 2003/04 ….…………………….…….….…36

Figure 9: Distribution of GER by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ....…37

Figure 10: Distribution of Male and Female NER by Governorate and Location for 2003/04 ……….………………..……….…39

Figure 11: Primary School NER by Governorate,Location and Gender for 2003/04 .…………………………………...….40

Figure 12: Primary School Repetition Rates by Location, Grade and Gender for 2003/04 ………………….…………..……...41

Figure 13: Primary School Average Repetition Rates by DOE for 2003/04 ……….…...41

Figure 14: Primary School Dropout Rates by DOE,Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……………………………….….....42

Figure 15: Primary School Dropout Rates by Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……..43

Figure 16: Estimated Primary School Survival Ratesby DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……..………………….……..….45

Figure 17: Estimated Transition Rates from Primary to LowerSecondary by Location and Gender for 2003/04 ……………….……..….47

Figure 18: Secondary School Enrolment by, Location, Grade and Gender for 2003/04 …………………….………..……...52

Figure 19: Secondary School GER by Governorate,Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………………………………...…...54

Figure 20: Secondary School NER by Governorate,Location and Gender for 2003/04 …………………..…………......…..56

Figure 21: Secondary School Repetition Rates byLocation, Grade and Gender for 2003/04 …………..…………………......…..58

Figure 22: Secondary School Repetition Rates byDOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 …………………..…………......…..59

Figure 23: Secondary School Dropout Rates by Location, Grade and Gender for 2003/04 ……………………..…………..…..61

Figure 24: Secondary School Estimated Survival Ratesby DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………………………...…….....63

Figure 25: Secondary School Student/Teacher Ratiosby DOE and Location for 2003/04 ………………………..……..…...64

Figure 26: Vocation School Enrolment of Students Aged 15 to21 Years by DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ………..………..….…70

Figure 27: Institute Enrolment by DOE, Location and Gender for 2003/04 ......................76

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PurposeThis document presents an analysis of the findings of the Iraq Education Survey carried out in2004 and constitutes Volume II of the Survey Report. It is directed at policy makers andprogramme planners in the Ministry of Education.

Volume I contained a comprehensive set of tables describing a wide range of education statisticscovering schools, buildings, students, and teachers for the pre-primary, primary, secondary,vocational, institutes and alternative education sectors. It was published in September, 2004.

Volume III will provide thematic maps illustrating the spatial distribution of the most importanteducation indicators. It will be indispensable for education planners as most of the indicatorsshow wide sub-national variances.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Kindergarten IndicatorsThis sector is relatively under-developed in Iraq, enrolling only 90,966 children in 645 schools ofwhich 90% are in urban areas. There is an argument for expanding the sector with the objectiveof ensuring that more children are better prepared for commencing primary school, as that wouldreduce repetition rates in the first few primary grades and contribute to an improved quality ofprimary education. Of course, this argument needs to be considered in the context of thedevelopmental and funding needs of all sectors of education, and should be addressed in thestrategic planning process.

Given the present level of development of the kindergarten sector there are two issues that needto be addressed in the near future. They are the present distribution of student/teacher ratioswhich heavily favour a few DOEs, and the low percentage of teachers with appropriatequalifications.

It is recommended that the following actions be undertaken:i. A study be carried out to determine whether it is feasible to either re-distribute

kindergarten teachers from DOEs with low student/teacher ratios to those with highratios, or to employing more teachers in DOEs like Ninevah, Tamim and Muthana wherethe ratios exceed 20:1.

ii. A training strategy be developed and implemented that focuses on provision of an in-service training programme with two streams: one that leads to a recognized qualificationfor unqualified teachers who are younger than 35 and who might be expected to stay inthe teaching workforce for another 20 years; and the other for all teachers directed atcontinuously improving their effectiveness.

iii. That policies and an operational programme covering all aspects of the kindergartensector be developed as an integrated component of a strategic plan covering all sectors ofeducation.

Primary School IndicatorsIn its EFA 2000 Assessment Iraq reported a primary school net enrolment rate (NER) of 93%,and a gross enrolment rate (GER) of 109%. Iraq also reported that 18% of girls of primary schoolage (6 to 11 years) were not enrolled in school. The Iraq Education Survey found that the NERfor 2003/2004 was 86%, and the GER 98%. Also, the Survey found that 21% of girls of primaryschool age were not enrolled in school. The most disadvantaged group were rural girls for whomthe NER was only 67%. Nevertheless, in terms of enrolment ratios, Iraq is a leader among Arabstates where the average NER for primary was 81%.

Having regard to the serious dislocations to civil society occasioned by the war in 2003 and thecontinuing security difficulties confronting Iraq, these enrolment ratios constitute anextraordinary achievement and are a testament to the high value accorded education by families,communities and government in Iraq.

The Survey also found that there were wide variations in enrolment ratios between governorates,and between urban and rural areas within governorates. There were wide differences inenrolment rates for boys and girls within governorates. These location and gender gaps constitutea major impediment to Iraq achieving its EFA and MDG targets by 2015.

The Survey found an average repetition rate of 8% across the primary grades, an average dropoutrate of 3.6%, and an estimated average survival rate to the end of primary of 76%. The highrepetition rate of 13% for grade 5 is believed to be due to a marked increase in curriculum

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difficulty in that grade. The high repetition and dropout and low survival rates indicate a lowlevel of internal efficiency. This means that there is considerable scope for increasing enrolmentswithout commensurate increases in resources by decreasing repetition rates.

The transition rate from primary to secondary was found to be 0.52; that is 52% of the childrenwho completed primary enrolled in lower secondary. The enrolment ratios for primary, whenconsidered together with the survival rate to the end of primary and the transition rate fromprimary to secondary, mean that of a primary school age cohort of 4.4 million children,approximately one million will fail to complete primary and two million will not enter lowersecondary. Clearly, this is a major policy issue for Iraq.

Iraq has made great progress in primary education but faces a number of major issues. They are:(i) uneven access to primary schooling across Iraq with rural areas being the most disadvantaged;(ii) large gender gaps, especially in rural areas; (iii) low internal efficiency; and (iv) lowtransition rates from primary to secondary. These issues need urgent policy attention if Iraq is tomeet its EFA and MDG targets.

It is recommended that the following studies be carried out as a matter of priority and theirfindings be used both as a basis for immediate action and as input to a strategic planning process:

i. A study designed to identify the causes of low enrolment ratios, high repetition anddropout rates, low transition rates from primary to lower secondary, and location andgender disparities in these indicators. The study would seek the views of families andcommunities on the extent to which factors such as poverty, the opportunity costs ofschooling, the present security situation and cultural norms influence parents’ decisionsnot to enroll their children or allow them to dropout. The study would also investigate theeffects of systemic factors such as curriculum, teacher training, and school infrastructure.

ii. A study to examine closely the need for additional schools and additional classrooms as apriority issue because over crowding often leads to a reduction in education quality.

Secondary School IndicatorsThe Survey found that the secondary school GER was 42%, and NER 36%, with wide variationsbetween governorates, and urban-rural areas. The gap between male and female NER was 12percentage points (male 42% and female 30%), and between urban and rural was 31 percentagepoints (urban 47% and rural 16%), with again the most disadvantaged group being rural girls, forwhom the GER was only 8%. In terms of enrolment indicators, Iraq has reached approximatelythe same level of secondary school development as Morocco and Syria.

The repetition rate averaged across all secondary grades was 9% and the dropout rate 4%. Thehigh repetition rate in grade 1 of 12% is particularly concerning because it suggests that manyprimary school children are not well prepared for lower secondary studies. This may be due to asharp increase in curriculum difficulty between the last primary and the first secondary grade.

The estimated survival rate to the end of the secondary cycle was 78% which comparesfavorably with those of other Arab states.

The student/teacher ratios in primary and secondary were 21:1 and 19:1, respectively. These arelow by international standards, and indicate that there is scope for expanding enrolment levelswith only marginal increases in the size of the teaching workforce.

The student/classroom ratios were 44:1 for both primary and secondary. The former suggestsconsiderable overcrowding in many schools, but the latter indicates there is some under utilizedcapacity.

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Iraq has made less progress in secondary education and has fallen behind neighboring Arabstates such as Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. Partly, this is because the low survival rates to the endof primary and low transition rates to secondary place a limit on secondary enrolment ratios.Also, the rural areas of most governorates do not have sufficient secondary schools, as isindicated by the finding that only 16% of secondary school aged children residing in rural areasare enrolled. Additionally, the high repetition rates for grades 1, 2 and 5 indicate low internalefficiency. Given the comparatively high per capita cost of secondary schooling, there should bea concerted effort to increase internal efficiency levels. A further issue is the wide gender gap insecondary school. In part, this could be addressed by providing more rural schools as it is in ruralareas that girls are most disadvantaged in terms of access to secondary education.

It is recommended that the following actions be undertaken:i. A study to be carried out to assess the reasons for the low enrolment levels, especially in

relation to girls and rural youth, in secondary school and to develop practical guidelinesto remedy the situation. The findings of this study should be an input to the strategicplanning process.

ii. A study to be carried out to assess the reasons for the high repetition and dropout ratesand for their distribution across grades, location and gender. The findings of the studyshould be an input to the strategic planning process.

Quality of EducationThe survey was not aimed at measuring directly quality of education but it does provide indirectevidence in the form of repetition and dropout rates, student/teacher and student/classroomratios, teachers’ qualifications and extent of in-service training. These indicators are often usedas proxy variables when assessing quality. However, this indirect evidence should not be asubstitute for direct measurement of what students who have completed various levels ofeducation know, understand and “can do” in relation to curriculum objectives.

It is relevant that the UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) isinitiating a series of studies aimed at measuring learning achievement in various MENAcountries in 2005. Under this project, MENA countries would use a common methodology toassess learning achievement in primary school based upon a theoretically sound cognitiveframework and utilizing modern statistical techniques to directly relate student performance tocurriculum objectives. It should be emphasized that the purpose of this project is not to compareperformance across countries but to assist countries to use a sound methodology to assesslearning quality. The project has substantial capacity building value for participating countries. Itis recommended that Iraq give consideration to joining the UNICEF project for assessinglearning achievement in MENA countries in 2005.

Vocational School IndicatorsIn 2003/2004 there were 89,902 students enrolled in 275 vocational schools. 70% of the schoolswere for males only, 81% of the students were male, and 53% of the teachers were male.Moreover, 93% of the enrolment was in urban areas, indicating that rural students have pooraccess to vocational education. Also, 32% of the enrolment was in the Baghdad governorate.

The sector was characterized by very low repetition and dropout rates. The student/teacher ratioof 12:1 is generous.

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Institute IndicatorsThere were 76,193 students enrolled in 185 institutes with 2,903 teachers in 2003/2004. Of theinstitutes, 92% are for teacher training, and 66% of them are for females only. The enrolment isoverwhelmingly in urban institutes (97%) and the majority of students are female (58%).

The enrolment pattern indicated that grade 1 enrolment was more than three times that of grade2. This suggests that the sector could experience very rapid growth over the next few years.

Repetition and dropout rates are low, and estimated survival to the end of the cycle very high.

Vocational and Institute SectorsThe vocational and institute sectors are comparatively small for a country of Iraq’s size andpotential regional economic importance. Having regard to the reconstruction challenges facingIraq in areas ranging from physical infrastructure, to industry, to commerce, and to agriculture,there will be a growing need for many well trained workers produced by vocational institutes.There will also be a need for universities to produce well trained professionals such as engineers,scientists, economists, computer and communications specialists, and business and public sectormanagers. It is difficult for any country to strike an appropriate balance between the number ofvocational institute graduates on the one hand and the number of university graduates on theother. Iraq may wish to consider the recent experience of a number of developing countries thathave given emphasis to the university sector at the expense of vocational training. In suchcountries it is a commonplace observation that there are many highly qualified professionals whocannot find suitable employment, yet in those same countries there is often a shortage of welltrained technicians, tradesmen such as electricians, and office workers.

There is an obvious need for an in-depth study of this sector which could be undertaken either asa precursor to, or as an integral component of, a strategic planning study covering all levels ofeducation. There would be advantage in carrying out a separate in-depth study, especially ofvocational training, as it would allow for a sharper focus on that sector and could be undertakenmore quickly than if it were to be a component of a broader study. However, it is imperative thateducation planning, particularly for the vocational, institute and university sectors, be closelyaligned with economic planning, and that such planning build links across these sectors so as toprovide alternative pathways for students. For that reason, the preferred approach is to conductthe study as part of the strategic planning process.

Alternative Education (Yafi’een) School IndicatorsThe Yafi’een schools system operates only in Ninevah, Diala, Baghdad/Risafa 2, Baghdad/Karkh1, Basra, Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya. It enrolled 5,196 students in 43 schools in those DOEs.

Having regard to the low enrolment and high repetition and dropout rates for primary school, andto the location and gender disparities in these indicators, there is a very large potential forexpansion of the non-formal sector such as Yafi’een schools, to provide opportunities forchildren and youth who either never enrolled in primary or dropped out in the early grades.Experience in many developing countries has demonstrated that the non-formal sector is a costeffective solution to providing educational services to disadvantaged groups who wouldotherwise remain illiterate and trapped in poverty.

This is a matter of urgency for Iraq and it is strongly recommended that a study be undertakenimmediately to develop policies and plans for expansion of the non-formal sector to provideopportunities for children and youth who never enrolled in primary or failed to complete the

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primary cycle. The study should consider ways of articulating the non-formal and formal sectorsso that the former can provide a pathway into the latter.

Education PlanningIraq has an urgent need to develop a strategic plan governing education development in allsectors for the next ten years. A strategic plan for education development in Iraq would have toengage complex policy issues.

The most difficult policy issue will concern resource allocation between sectors. Resourceallocation must be based on informed judgments about the best way to achieve nationaldevelopment goals, and this will involve thinking about the output of the education system as aninput to the economy. Consequently, the development of a strategic plan for educationdevelopment in Iraq over the next ten years should be linked explicitly with economic planningand have due regard to labour market formation.

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IntroductionThis report provides an analysis of the data compiled from the Iraq Education Survey carried outin 2003 by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNICEF’s Country Office for Iraq,with funding assistance from USAID.

A comprehensive set of tables describing a wide range of education statistics covering schools,buildings, students, and teachers for pre-primary, primary, secondary, vocational, institute andalternative education was compiled and published as Volume 1 in September, 2004.

This report constitutes Volume II, and is directed at policy makers and programme planners inthe Ministry. The report will also be useful for the Ministry’s partners such as the UN and othermulti-lateral agencies, bilateral agencies and Non Government Organisations (NGO) involved ineducation development. Volume III will provide thematic maps covering the most importanteducation indicators, and will be valuable for illustrating the spatial distribution of these

SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

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indicators. Volume III will be indispensable for education planners as most of the indicatorsshow wide sub-national variances.

The survey was conducted in the first half of 2004. Survey data were entered into a databasefrom which the statistical tables presented in Volume I were compiled. The database and VolumeI tables constitute an invaluable resource for the Ministry, not only for education planning butalso for operational management of a large, complex and geographically dispersed educationsystem. It is necessary to mention that designing and carrying out a comprehensive educationsurvey in the circumstances that prevailed in Iraq in 2003/04 was an undertaking daunting in itsoperational complexity. It is, by any measure, a remarkable achievement.

BackgroundContextual Factors: As Iraq pointed out in its EFA 2000 Assessment Country Report, educationhas traditionally been accorded a high cultural value by families, communities and governmentin Iraq. This was reflected in a highly developed and clearly articulated system spanning pre-primary through to university education. University education, in particular, enjoyed a fineinternational reputation with some Iraqi institutions being among the most prestigiousuniversities in the Middle East.

Inevitably, however, three major wars and various civil conflicts in the last two decades have lefta legacy of destroyed and extensively damaged buildings which had accommodated schools,educational administrative organizations, curriculum centres, examination authorities, andtextbook production and distribution facilities. There has also been wide spread loss of educationresources such as libraries, textbooks, teacher guides, computers, and laboratory equipment.

Additionally, these conflicts and the sanctions imposed on Iraq in the 1990s have reduced thehealth status of many children, families and communities, and it is assumed that this has had anegative effect on student enrolment and attendance levels.

Education Indicators: It is important to keep this context in mind when considering the presentstatus of the education system as revealed by the survey, and when comparing current educationindicators with those reported during EFA 2000 Assessment. Table 1 sets out selected educationindicators for the Middle East and North Africa. The data have been drawn from UNESCO’sInstitute of Statistics “EFA Global Monitoring Report for 2003/04”. The indicators are for 2000as that is the latest year for which the Institute has a comprehensive set of indicators.

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GER GPI NER GPI GER GPIAlgeria 3.3 1.00 98.3 0.92 70.8 1.08 0.87Bahrain 39.2 0.94 95.9 1.00 101.3 1.07 0.94Djibouti 0.4 1.44 32.6 0.76 18.9 0.62 0.61Egypt 12.5 0.95 92.6 0.93 85.7 0.94 0.83Iraq 5.7 1.00 92.9 0.82 38.3 0.62 0.67Jordan 30.6 0.91 93.6 1.00 87.7 1.03 0.94Kuwait 112.8 0.98 83.1 0.98 55.9 1.04 0.89Lebanon 70.8 0.98 86.5 0.97 75.7 1.10 0.90Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 7.9 1.01 … 1.02 … … …Mauritania … … 64.0 0.93 21.0 0.88 0.61Morocco 53.4 0.57 78.0 0.87 39.3 0.80 0.71Oman 4.8 0.90 64.6 0.96 68.2 0.98 0.81Palestinian Autonomous Territories 33.8 0.94 96.8 1.01 82.6 1.08 …Qatar 29.9 0.93 … 1.00 89.0 1.06 0.90Saudi Arabia 5.0 0.93 57.9 0.96 67.8 0.90 0.79Sudan 19.7 1.01 49.5 0.85 28.8 … 0.69Syrian Arab Republic 9.7 0.93 96.3 0.93 43.3 0.89 0.87Tunisia 15.8 0.99 99.2 0.96 78.3 1.05 0.88United Arab Emirates 84.3 1.00 86.6 1.00 75.1 1.12 0.89Yemen 0.4 0.92 67.1 0.63 … … …Arab States 15.8 0.99 80.9 0.89 69.5 1.03 …Developing countries 30.9 0.99 82.1 0.92 59.9 1.01 …World 46.7 1.01 83.8 0.93 77.5 1.06 …

EDICountry Pre-Primary Primary Secondary

Table 1: Selected Comparative Education Indicators (%) for 2000 for the Middle East and North Africa

Pre-Primary School: In 2000, Iraq reported a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 5.7% for pre-primary which is called kindergarten in Iraq. It is entered by children in the 4 to 5 year agegroup. GER is calculated by dividing the total student enrolment irrespective of age by thepopulation of children in the normative age group for that level of education. The Gender ParityIndex (GPI) was 1.00. The GPI for an indicator is the female value divided by the male value ofthat indicator; hence, a GPI of less than 1.00 indicates a bias against girls and a value greaterthan 1.00 indicates a bias against males. The mean pre-primary GER for Arab states in 2000 was15.8% and the mean GPI was 0.99.

Primary School: In Iraq primary school is normally entered at age 6 years, and it extends oversix grades. In 2000, the NER for primary school was 92.9% with a GPI of 0.82. NER iscalculated by dividing the total enrolment of children in the normative age range for that level ofschooling by the population of children in that age range. The GPI was 0.82, indicating that asubstantial proportion of girls in the age range 6 to 11 years were not enrolled in school. In itsEFA 2000 Assessment, Iraq reported a GER for primary of 109.6% for the 1999/2000 schoolyear, indicating a substantial degree of over-age enrolment. It may be that there was a tendencyin 1990/2000 for girls to enroll in primary at a later age than boys, which could account for thelow NER GPI.

The mean NER for primary school for all Arab states in 2000 was 80.9% and for the world83.8%, both of which are considerably lower than for Iraq. The mean NER GPI for Arab stateswas 0.89, and for the world 0.93, which are higher than that of Iraq. However, this comparisonneeds to be interpreted with caution because as mentioned above the Iraq value of 0.82 may beattributable to late enrolment of girls, particularly in the more remote rural areas, and henceIraq’s female enrolment rate in primary may be very close to the average of all Arab states.

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In its EFA 2000 Assessment Iraq reported very high repetition rates in primary: 8.7%, 8.8%,7.9%, 9.6%, 17.3%, and 9.5% in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. This level of repetitionmeans that approximately 400,000 children in primary grades in 1999/2000 were repeaters. Thiswould have the effect of increasing the incidence of over-age enrolment and inflating GER.More importantly, it indicates low levels of internal efficiency. The repetition rate of 17.3% forgrade 5 suggests that in the 1999/2000 school year the children encountered a sharp increase inthe level of curriculum difficulty between grades 4 and 5.

Secondary School: Secondary school in Iraq is entered normally at age 12 years, and spans sixgrades. Lower secondary extends from grade 1 to 3, with completion of grade 3 marking an exitpoint for students wishing to move to vocational education. Upper secondary extends from grade4 to 6, with successful completion of grade 6 constituting matriculation into university and otherforms of education such as teacher training institutes.

According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, the GER for secondary school in Iraq in 2000was 38.3% with a GPI of 0.62. This is similar to the GERs reported by Morocco and Syria, butconsiderably less than the GERs reported by Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia. It was also less thanthe mean GER for Arab states of 69.5%, for all developing countries of 59.9%, and for the worldof 77.5%.

The secondary school GER GPI of 0.62 suggests that almost twice as many boys as girls wereenrolled in secondary school. The mean GPI for secondary GER for all Arab states was 1.03,which indicates that more girls than boys, as a proportion of the size of their age cohorts, wereenrolled in secondary school. In this regard, the Arab states reflected a world wide trend of girls’secondary enrolment exceeding that of boys’.

Education Development Index: The Education Development Index (EDI) reported in Table 1 isa new composite measure designed by UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics for the purpose ofcomparing a country’s progress towards meeting its EFA objectives. It is computed by taking thearithmetic mean of four indictors: adult literacy rate, Universal Primary Education (UPE)progress, gender parity, and quality education. It is reported in Table 1 because it is now used bysome agencies for purposes of inter-country comparison.

There are many difficulties in interpreting this composite indicator that are attributable to variousmethodological problems. Firstly, it is an unweighted average, which means that equalimportance is accorded to all four indicators. Not all developing countries would accept thatimplicit assumption. Secondly, in many developing countries adult literacy rates are estimatedfrom surveys that do not measure literacy using standardized, objective instruments, but insteadrely on self reporting. This is known to lead to inflated levels of reported adult literacy. Thirdly,possibly the most contentious of the EFA indicators are those concerned with assessing qualityof primary education. Again for methodological reasons which it would be inappropriate todiscuss in this report, it is usually not possible to compare EFA quality indicators from year-to-year within a country, or between major sub-national units within a country for any particularyear, let alone from country to country. For these reasons, the EDI will not be used in this report.

Summary: It is clear from the EFA indicators that by 1990/2000 Iraq had made great progresstowards universalizing primary education, however fewer than half the relevant age cohort wasenrolled in secondary education. This probably reflects two major factors; (i) a low transitionrate from primary to secondary, especially for girls; and (ii) a high exit rate at the end of lowersecondary. Moreover, enrolment in secondary was heavily biased towards boys.

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Additionally, the very high repetition rates for all primary grades, but especially for grade 5indicates a low internal efficiency for the primary cycle.

It would seem, therefore, that the major education challenges confronting Iraq in 1999/2000were: (i) reducing repetition rates in all primary grades; (ii) encouraging girls to enroll in primaryat age 6 years; (iii) encouraging all primary students to complete the primary cycle; (iv)improving the transition rate from primary to secondary, especially for girls; and (v) improvingthe transition rate from lower to upper secondary. In addition, the pre-primary sector was littledeveloped in 1999/2000, and this may have contributed to the high repetition rates in the earlygrades of primary.

When its indicators are compared with those of other Arab states, Iraq emerges as a leader in theprimary sector. In the secondary sector it has achieved a similar level of development asMorocco and Syria. However, such inter-country comparisons are of limited value as they fail toacknowledge the recent economic, social and political history of the Middle East which hasimposed greater strains on Iraq than on most Arab states. In this regard, it is of signal importanceto recognize Iraq’s achievement in nearly universalizing primary education by 1999/2000.

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PopulationPopulation data were supplied by the Planning Commission in the form of estimates in five yearage groups, disaggregated by governorate, location (urban and rural) and sex. The age groupswere 0-4, 5-9 ……80+. As the normative age for commencement of primary school in Iraq is sixyears, and the primary and secondary cycles extend over six years, the data had to be rearrangedto form appropriate age groups for computation of age-related indicators such as Net IntakeRatio (NIR) and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER). For this purpose, the following age groups weredefined:

• Age 4, for computing NIR for kindergarten;• Age 4 to 5 for computing NER for kindergarten;• Age 6 for computing NIR for primary;• Age 6 to 11 for computing NER for primary;• Age 12 for computing NIR for lower secondary;

SECTION 2 MAJOR FINDINGS OFTHE EDUCATION SURVEY

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• Age 12 to 14 for computing NER for lower secondary;• Age 15 for computing NIR for upper secondary;• Age 15 to 17 for computing NER for upper secondary;• Age 12 to 17 for computing NER for all secondary grades;• Age 15 to 24 for computing NER for vocational institutes;• Age 18 to 24 for computing NER for institutes.

Population estimates for these age groups were calculated using Sprague Multipliers to yieldsingle year of age estimates, and by then aggregating single year estimates for each of the abovegroups. This was done for each governorate, by location and sex, and at the national level. Theestimates were then compared for internal consistency.

Additionally, these estimates were used to project population in these age groups forward to2014/2015 so as to investigate the implications of Iraq achieving EFA and MDG targets by thattime in terms of the numbers of extra classrooms and teachers needed. These forward projectionswere computed using the Population Council’s FIVFIV and SINSIN software, which implementthe Cairo demographic model with input parameters typical of Middle Eastern countries.

Kindergarten SectorSchools and Buildings: There are 627 kindergarten buildings in Iraq, 94% of which are locatedin urban areas. Sixty percent of these school buildings have sustained class A damage. Thiscategory covers buildings that have superficial damage, including broken doors and windows,and in which electricity and water supplies have been cut-off. Class A damaged buildings can berepaired. In the buildings accommodating the kindergartens, nearly half the student and half theteacher toilets were blocked or not functioning at the time of the survey. However, it should bementioned that by that time 34% of the buildings had been rehabilitated.

Enrolment: The number of children enrolled in kindergarten in 2003/04 disaggregated bydivision of education (DOE), location and sex is given in Table 2:

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female TotalNinevah 3,874 3,624 7,498 57 48 105 3,932 3,671 7,603

Salaheldin 1,238 1,240 2,478 293 241 534 1,516 1,496 3,012

Tamim 1,642 1,633 3,275 1,642 1,633 3,275

Diala 1,461 1,371 2,832 76 83 159 1,535 1,456 2,991

Baghdad / Risafa 1 3,283 2,977 6,260 3,265 2,995 6,260

Baghdad / Risafa 2 3,367 3,057 6,424 70 74 144 3,423 3,145 6,568

Baghdad / Karkh 1 3,634 3,566 7,200 3,639 3,561 7,200

Baghdad / Karkh 2 2,255 2,052 4,307 2,257 2,050 4,307

Anbar 1,471 1,388 2,859 307 310 617 1,790 1,686 3,476

Babil 1,636 1,532 3,168 193 196 389 1,829 1,728 3,557

Kerbala 1,227 1,164 2,391 42 36 78 1,282 1,187 2,469

Najaf 1,776 1,776 3,552 45 49 94 1,803 1,843 3,646

Qadissia 1,600 1,634 3,234 47 34 81 1,647 1,668 3,315

Muthana 678 609 1,287 670 617 1,287

Wasit 1,124 1,029 2,153 1,121 1,032 2,153

Thiqar 1,432 1,374 2,806 90 75 165 1,499 1,472 2,971

Misan 541 552 1,093 538 555 1,093

Basra 3,403 3,178 6,581 197 247 444 3,602 3,423 7,025

Dohuk 1,175 1,150 2,325 93 77 170 1,270 1,225 2,495

Erbil 4,269 4,365 8,634 383 428 811 4,664 4,781 9,445

Sulaimaniya 2,958 3,020 5,978 388 452 840 3,344 3,474 6,818

Iraq 44,044 42,291 86,335 2,281 2,350 4,631 46,325 44,641 90,966

Urban Rural NationalDOE

Table 2: Kindergarten Enrolments by DOE, Location and Gender in 2003/04

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It will be noted that about 90% of the enrolments are in urban areas and that there is little genderdisparity at the national level – indeed, rural female enrolments are higher than those of ruralmales.

These enrolment levels are low by comparison with the size of the kindergarten aged population,as is evident from Tables 3 and 4 which show GER and NER, respectively, disaggregated bygovernorate, location and sex.

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female TotalNinevah 0.083 0.082 0.083 0.002 0.001 0.002 0.048 0.047 0.048Salaheldin 0.082 0.086 0.084 0.014 0.012 0.013 0.042 0.042 0.042Tamim 0.093 0.097 0.095 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.061 0.064 0.062Diala 0.083 0.082 0.082 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.033 0.033 0.033Baghdad 0.073 0.071 0.072 0.002 0.003 0.003 0.063 0.062 0.062Anbar 0.072 0.071 0.071 0.014 0.014 0.014 0.041 0.041 0.041Babil 0.078 0.076 0.077 0.007 0.007 0.007 0.037 0.037 0.037Kerbala 0.080 0.080 0.080 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.051 0.050 0.051Najaf 0.088 0.093 0.090 0.004 0.005 0.004 0.059 0.062 0.061Qadissia 0.113 0.121 0.117 0.003 0.002 0.003 0.056 0.059 0.057Muthana 0.093 0.087 0.090 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.037 0.035 0.036Wasit 0.074 0.071 0.073 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.036 0.034 0.035Thiqar 0.056 0.056 0.056 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.032 0.032 0.032Misan 0.037 0.039 0.038 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.022 0.024 0.023Basra 0.081 0.079 0.080 0.015 0.019 0.017 0.065 0.065 0.065Dohuk 0.114 0.116 0.115 0.021 0.018 0.020 0.086 0.087 0.087Erbil 0.135 0.145 0.140 0.033 0.039 0.036 0.108 0.116 0.112Sulaimaniya 0.082 0.088 0.085 0.022 0.027 0.024 0.062 0.068 0.065

GovernorateUrban Rural National

Table 3: Kindergarten GER by Governorate, Location and Gender in 2003/04

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female TotalNinevah 0.079 0.077 0.078 0.002 0.001 0.002 0.046 0.045 0.045Salaheldin 0.073 0.077 0.075 0.008 0.007 0.008 0.035 0.036 0.036Tamim 0.086 0.090 0.088 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.057 0.060 0.058Diala 0.072 0.069 0.070 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.028 0.028 0.028Baghdad 0.069 0.067 0.068 0.002 0.003 0.003 0.059 0.058 0.059Anbar 0.066 0.063 0.065 0.013 0.013 0.013 0.038 0.037 0.038Babil 0.075 0.073 0.074 0.006 0.007 0.006 0.036 0.035 0.035Kerbala 0.073 0.073 0.073 0.004 0.004 0.004 0.046 0.046 0.046Najaf 0.081 0.085 0.083 0.004 0.005 0.004 0.054 0.057 0.056Qadissia 0.113 0.121 0.117 0.003 0.002 0.003 0.056 0.059 0.057Muthana 0.078 0.072 0.075 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.031 0.029 0.030Wasit 0.066 0.063 0.065 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.032 0.030 0.031Thiqar 0.047 0.048 0.048 0.003 0.003 0.003 0.027 0.027 0.027Misan 0.031 0.033 0.032 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.019 0.020 0.020Basra 0.071 0.070 0.071 0.010 0.012 0.011 0.057 0.056 0.056Dohuk 0.110 0.115 0.113 0.021 0.018 0.020 0.084 0.086 0.085Erbil 0.127 0.135 0.130 0.032 0.038 0.035 0.101 0.109 0.105Sulaimaniya 0.077 0.083 0.080 0.022 0.026 0.024 0.059 0.064 0.061Iraq 0.075 0.076 0.075 0.006 0.007 0.007 0.050 0.050 0.050

Governorate Urban Rural National

Table 4: Kindergarten NER by Governorate, Location and Gender in 2003/04

It is obvious that GER and NER are very low at the national level and in every governorate, andthat they are especially low in rural areas. It is only in one governorate, Erbil, that GER or NERexceed 10% of the kindergarten age cohort. GER and NER figures are almost the same,indicating that there is a low incidence of under- and over-age enrolment. There is little genderdisparity.

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Student/Teacher Ratio: Table 5 sets out student/teacher ratios disaggregated by DOE andlocation.

Teachers Students S/T Ratio Teachers Students S/T Ratio Teachers Students S/T RatioNinevah 281 7,498 27 4 105 26 285 7,603 27Salaheldin 283 2,478 9 49 534 11 332 3,012 9Tamim 149 3,275 22 149 3,275 22Diala 247 2,832 11 14 159 11 261 2,991 11Baghdad / Risafa 1 398 6,260 16 398 6,260 16Baghdad / Risafa 2 337 6,424 19 7 144 21 344 6,568 19Baghdad / Karkh 1 415 7,200 17 415 7,200 17Baghdad / Karkh 2 301 4,307 14 301 4,307 14Anbar 188 2,859 15 40 617 15 228 3,476 15Babil 245 3,168 13 35 389 11 280 3,557 13Kerbala 154 2,391 16 8 78 10 162 2,469 15Najaf 184 3,552 19 8 94 12 192 3,646 19Qadissia 263 3,234 12 14 81 6 277 3,315 12Muthana 57 1,287 23 57 1,287 23Wasit 176 2,153 12 176 2,153 12Thiqar 257 2,806 11 12 165 14 269 2,971 11Misan 88 1,093 12 88 1,093 12Basra 379 6,581 17 14 444 32 393 7,025 18Dohuk 144 2,325 16 10 170 17 154 2,495 16Erbil 466 8,634 19 34 811 24 500 9,445 19Sulaimaniya 527 5,978 11 77 840 11 604 6,818 11Iraq 5,539 86,335 16 326 4,631 14 5,865 90,966 16

DOEUrban Rural National

Table 5: Kindergarten Student/Teacher Ratios by DOE and Location in 2003/04

It is clear that student/teacher ratios at the national level, and for urban and rural areas arereasonably low and conducive to good quality early childhood education. However, there is awide range of ratios extending from 27:1 in Ninevah to 9:1 in Salaheldin.

It is recommended that a study be carried out to determine whether it is feasible to either re-distribute kindergarten teachers from DOEs with low student/teacher ratios to those with highratios, or to employing more teachers in DOEs like Ninevah, Tamim and Muthana where theratios exceed 20:1.

Teachers’ Qualifications: In kindergarten, as in all levels of education, teachers’ qualification isan important indicator that needs to be considered in association with student/teacher ratios whenassessing quality of service. Table 6 sets out the proportion of kindergarten teachers who hold atleast the minimum qualification set down by the Ministry as being needed for employment as akindergarten teacher. Also important for both qualified and unqualified kindergarten teachers isthe frequency and duration of in-service training.

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DOE Urban Rural NationalNinevah 0.31 0.75 0.32Salaheldin 0.49 0.41 0.48Tamim 0.43 0.43Diala 0.50 0.50 0.50Baghdad / Risafa 1 0.60 0.60Baghdad / Risafa 2 0.53 0.43 0.53Baghdad / Karkh 1 0.52 0.52Baghdad / Karkh 2 0.48 0.48Anbar 0.36 0.35 0.36Babil 0.43 0.66 0.46Kerbala 0.27 0.25 0.27Najaf 0.42 0.38 0.42Qadissia 0.36 0.36 0.36Muthana 0.14 0.14Wasit 0.36 0.36Thiqar 0.36 0.25 0.35Misan 0.36 0.36Basra 0.51 0.43 0.51Dohuk 0.27 0.50 0.29Erbil 0.48 0.71 0.49Sulaimaniya 0.50 0.53 0.51

Table 6: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers Holding at least the Minimum Qualificationin 2003/04

At a national level, fewer than 50% of kindergarten teachers hold the minimum qualifications,and this is the case in all but six of the 21 DOEs. This is a potentially serious impediment toproviding quality early childhood education but its effect can be ameliorated by a programme ofin-service training.

In-Service Training: Table 7 sets out the proportion of kindergarten teachers who have receivedin-service training.

Table 7: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers who have received In-Service Training as at2003/04

Ninevah 0.20 0.36 0.50 0.50 0.21 0.36Salaheldin 0.22 0.28 0.06 0.31 0.20 0.29Tamim 0.15 0.54 0.15 0.54Diala 0.25 0.40 0.29 0.57 0.25 0.41Baghdad / Risafa 1 0.30 0.28 0.30 0.28Baghdad / Risafa 2 0.26 0.38 0.00 0.00 0.26 0.38Baghdad / Karkh 1 0.17 0.23 0.17 0.23Baghdad / Karkh 2 0.50 0.45 0.50 0.45Anbar 0.27 0.25 0.45 0.10 0.30 0.22Babil 0.24 0.24 0.51 0.20 0.28 0.23Kerbala 0.30 0.42 1.00 0.00 0.33 0.40Najaf 0.59 0.39 0.00 1.00 0.57 0.41Qadissia 0.62 0.38 0.79 0.21 0.62 0.38Muthana 0.51 0.49 0.51 0.49Wasit 0.31 0.69 0.31 0.69Thiqar 0.67 0.19 1.00 0.00 0.68 0.18Misan 0.41 0.15 0.41 0.15Basra 0.28 0.28 0.79 0.14 0.30 0.27Dohuk 0.19 0.59 0.40 0.70 0.21 0.60Erbil 0.17 0.65 0.38 0.62 0.18 0.64Sulaimaniya 0.05 0.17 0.04 0.52 0.05 0.22

DOEUrban Rural National

Not TrainedTrained Last 5

yearsNot

TrainedTrained Last 5

yearsNot Trained

Trained Last 5years

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It is apparent from Table 7 that in most DOEs most kindergarten teachers have received in-service training at some time in careers. However, in only four DOEs did the proportionreceiving training in the last five years exceed 50%. This is insufficient to maintain a qualitykindergarten teaching workforce. On the other hand, in a number of DOEs, mainly Dohuk, Erbil,Wasit and Muthana, where the proportion of qualified teachers was low, the proportion receivingin-service training in the last five years was particularly high. This suggests that trainingprogrammes over the last five years have been well targeted at the most needy areas.

Teachers’ Age Distribution: Given the relative youthfulness of the Iraqi population, and thepresent low kindergarten enrolment levels, it can be expected that there will be surge in demandfor kindergarten places over the next ten years. Meeting this demand will require a rapidlyexpanding teaching workforce. In part, this can be met by expanding the capacity of kindergartenteacher training institutes. It can also be met by increasing the frequency, duration and quality ofin-service training, especially of those already in the teaching workforce who lack the minimumformal qualifications. An issue that needs to be considered in developing a training strategy is theage distribution of the existing workforce. Table 8 sets out the proportion of kindergartenteachers who were less than 35 years of age in 2003/04.

DOE Urban Rural National

Ninevah 0.21 0.00 0.20Salaheldin 0.39 0.33 0.38Tamim 0.27 0.27Diala 0.23 0.79 0.26Baghdad / Risafa 1 0.35 0.35Baghdad / Risafa 2 0.42 0.14 0.41Baghdad / Karkh 1 0.30 0.30Baghdad / Karkh 2 0.34 0.34Anbar 0.45 0.23 0.41Babil 0.28 0.34 0.29Kerbala 0.09 0.25 0.10Najaf 0.17 0.25 0.17Qadissia 0.29 0.36 0.29Muthana 0.07 0.07Wasit 0.27 0.27Thiqar 0.22 0.50 0.23Misan 0.30 0.30Basra 0.26 0.21 0.25Dohuk 0.49 0.60 0.49Erbil 0.42 0.59 0.43Sulaimaniya 0.63 0.77 0.65

Table 8: Proportion of Kindergarten Teachers who were less that 35 Years-of Age in2003/04

At a national level, approximately 30% of kindergarten teachers are less than 35 years of age,though this varies greatly from 65% in Sulaimaniya to 10% in Kerbala. In general, it would bemore usual to find that 30% of kindergarten teachers are older, not younger, than 35 years of age;that is, in many countries the profession tends to be dominated by younger women, perhapsbecause of the difficulties of the work kindergarten teaching involves.

Given these circumstances, it is recommended that a training strategy be implemented thatfocuses on provision of an in-service training programme with two streams: one that leads to arecognized qualification for unqualified teachers who are younger than 35 and who might beexpected to stay in the teaching workforce for another 20 years; and the other for all teachersdirected at continuously improving their effectiveness.

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Student/Classroom Ratios: Student/classroom ratios for kindergarten are set out in Table 9.

Urban 2,747 31 547 26Rural 129 36 38 28National 2,876 32 585 26

Projected Student/ClassroomRatioLocation Number of Classrooms Student/Classroom Ratio

Number of New ClassroomsNeeded

Table 9: Kindergarten Student/Classroom Ratios in 2003/04

The student/classroom ratios given in Table 9 are quite high for kindergarten, and theysignificantly exceed the student/teacher ratios reported in Table 5. This implies that manyclassrooms are accommodating more than one kindergarten class, and because fewer than 2% ofkindergartens operate more than one shift, these classes must be held concurrently. This level ofcrowding implies difficult conditions for teachers and students. The survey found thatkindergarten head teachers estimated that an additional 585 classrooms, or an additional 20%,were needed. Even if these classrooms were provided that would reduce the nationalstudent/classroom ratio to 26, which is still high by international standards for kindergarten.

Summary: It is clear that the kindergarten sector is under-supplied with schools and teachers,especially in the rural areas. Additionally, more than 60 % of the existing stock of schools needsto be repaired. Even at present population levels, achieving a 50% enrolment level would requirea massive capital investment in provision of physical facilities, or a large increase in recurrentexpenditure to fund rental of suitable accommodation. It would also involve a massive pre- andin-service training programme. Investments of the magnitude needed would also have to beconsidered in the context of the needs of other education sectors. It is recommended thatpolicies and an operational programme covering all aspects of the kindergarten sector bedeveloped as an integrated component of a strategic plan covering all sectors of education. Theneed for a comprehensive strategic plan for education development is discussed later in thisreport.

Primary School Sector

Schools and Buildings: In 2003/04, there were 11,368 primary school buildings in Iraq, 4,236 ofwhich were in urban and 7,132 in rural areas. 75% of these schools were in buildings havingonly one school. The survey found that only 11% of these schools were undamaged either by waror neglect of maintenance. Some 53% were found to have class A damage. However, by the dateof the survey 3,820 of the 11,368 school buildings, 34%, had been rehabilitated.

The survey also found that there were only 24,229 functioning toilets for the primary enrolmentof 4,334,609 children, which is a ratio of 179 children for each functioning toilet. This impliesthat conditions are grossly unsanitary for most children. For teachers, there were 8858functioning toilets for 211,136 teachers, a ratio of 24:1. Again, this implies very poor workingconditions for most teachers.

Only 67% of the schools had water available, and 78% had electricity connected. Approximately50% of the schools had heating and cooling systems installed and functioning.

29


Net Intake Rate: The Net Intake Rate (NIR) to primary school measures the proportion of sixyear old children who enroll in primary for the first time. Table 10 sets out the NIRdisaggregated by governorate, location and gender.



Table10: Primary School NIR by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04

The national level NIR of 0.71 indicates that 29% of the age cohort did not enroll in primaryschool in 2003/04. Because of poverty and the ongoing security situation in Iraq, many of thesechildren may never enroll in school and will thus add to the growing ranks of the illiterate.Moreover, as conditions improve in Iraq these children will be poorly prepared to engageproductively in an expanding economy and as informed members of Iraq society. Also, theirchildren will be less likely to complete basic education and, hence, the cycle of inter-generationalpoverty will continue. This issue is returned to later in the report.The distribution of NIR between governorates, disaggregated by location and gender is shown inFigure 1.

30


Figure 1: Primary School NIR by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04

Although urban rates are higher than rural, and male rates exceed those of females, thedifferences in most governorates are not substantial. Moreover, with exception of urban malerates for Najaf, Qadissia and Dohuk, there are only minor differences between governorates. Asurban male rates for these three governorates exceed 1.00, it suggests that there has been aninward migration of families to these governorates which has not yet been reflected in theofficial population statistics, or there are children living in rural towns and villages that adjoinurban areas who have enrolled in nearby urban schools.

Enrolment: Table 11 provides a summary of primary school enrolments by DOE and grade for2003/04.

Primary NIR by Location and Governorate for 2003-2004

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

Ninevah

Salaheldin

Tamim

Diala

Baghdad

Anbar

Babil

Kerbala

Najaf

Qadissia

Muthana

Wasit

Thiqar

Misan

Basra

Dohuk

Erbil

Sulaimaniya

NIR

Urban Rural

Primary NIR by Location and Governorate for 2003-2004

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

Ninevah

Salaheldin

Tamim

Diala

Baghdad

Anbar

Babil

Kerbala

Najaf

Qadissia

Muthana

Wasit

Thiqar

Misan

Basra

Dohuk

Erbil

Sulaimaniya

NIR

Urban Rural

31


1 2 3 4 5 6Ninevah 105,357 78,108 73,752 68,201 64,290 40,546 430,254Salaheldin 39,424 33,309 30,659 29,236 26,587 21,642 180,857Tamim 27,953 24,239 23,436 22,388 22,764 18,460 139,240Diala 41,737 39,225 36,969 36,178 35,583 29,063 218,755Baghdad / Risafa 1 51,990 46,739 45,112 45,130 45,797 40,018 274,786Baghdad / Risafa 2 55,067 48,489 46,725 46,606 47,360 38,884 283,131Baghdad / Karkh 1 48,303 42,922 41,203 41,013 40,305 34,470 248,216Baghdad / Karkh 2 39,770 36,567 34,286 35,358 35,635 32,032 213,648Anbar 49,380 41,791 38,824 35,975 34,345 25,306 225,621Babil 46,883 42,621 41,254 40,249 37,958 27,574 236,539Kerbala 27,096 22,835 21,653 21,169 21,567 13,549 127,869Najaf 38,278 29,291 27,540 26,332 24,399 17,407 163,247Qadissia 30,074 24,384 22,929 21,658 20,218 15,424 134,687Muthana 20,435 14,820 13,713 12,423 11,777 6,847 80,015Wasit 29,818 24,431 23,088 21,263 19,495 15,259 133,354Thiqar 54,211 41,153 39,348 36,357 32,906 25,840 229,815Misan 23,793 17,606 16,970 15,539 14,280 10,567 98,755Basra 60,656 53,418 52,228 51,582 48,712 38,945 305,541Dohuk 31,571 28,059 26,219 27,424 29,525 22,558 165,356Erbil 42,453 37,057 35,522 37,010 38,161 29,275 219,478Sulaimaniya 42,525 38,122 34,430 35,304 42,870 32,194 225,445Iraq 906,774 765,186 725,860 706,395 694,534 535,860 4,334,609

DOE GRADES

TOTAL

Table 11: Primary School Enrolments by DOE and Grade for 2003/04

National enrolment in primary school in 2003/04 totaled 4,334,609, which approximates theenrolment in 1999/2000 quoted in Iraq’s national EFA 2000 country report. Having regard to theextent of the civil dislocation that the country has suffered since that time, the 2003/04 enrolmentrepresents an extraordinary achievement. More than 23% of the enrolment is located in the fourBaghdad DOEs. The remaining enrolment is distributed unevenly over the other DOEs, as isindicated in Table 12 and Figure 2.

Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls TotalNinevah 147,444 117,865 265,309 99,546 65,399 164,945 246,990 183,264 430,254Salaheldin 45,837 40,463 86,300 56,285 38,272 94,557 102,122 78,735 180,857Tamim 53,117 43,951 97,068 25,545 16,627 42,172 78,662 60,578 139,240Diala 50,942 44,974 95,916 70,726 52,113 122,839 121,668 97,087 218,755Baghdad / Risafa 1 140,040 126,745 266,785 4,529 3,472 8,001 144,569 130,217 274,786Baghdad / Risafa 2 132,278 115,494 247,772 18,795 16,564 35,359 151,073 132,058 283,131Baghdad / Karkh 1 101,883 92,544 194,427 31,791 21,998 53,789 133,674 114,542 248,216Baghdad / Karkh 2 81,073 74,518 155,591 33,716 24,341 58,057 114,789 98,859 213,648Anbar 58,868 51,580 110,448 69,243 45,930 115,173 128,111 97,510 225,621Babil 65,467 54,713 120,180 68,103 48,256 116,359 133,570 102,969 236,539Kerbala 43,951 37,255 81,206 26,837 19,826 46,663 70,788 57,081 127,869Najaf 65,763 56,231 121,994 23,861 17,392 41,253 89,624 73,623 163,247Qadissia 48,600 40,254 88,854 29,558 16,275 45,833 78,158 56,529 134,687Muthana 24,421 20,100 44,521 23,529 11,965 35,494 47,950 32,065 80,015Wasit 44,665 35,778 80,443 35,424 17,487 52,911 80,089 53,265 133,354Thiqar 80,471 67,744 148,215 53,706 27,894 81,600 134,177 95,638 229,815Misan 42,977 33,224 76,201 15,539 7,015 22,554 58,516 40,239 98,755Basra 122,156 105,609 227,765 45,527 32,249 77,776 167,683 137,858 305,541Dohuk 48,981 40,988 89,969 42,284 33,103 75,387 91,265 74,091 165,356Erbil 82,427 71,318 153,745 37,862 27,871 65,733 120,289 99,189 219,478Sulaimaniya 81,124 72,786 153,910 39,317 32,218 71,535 120,441 105,004 225,445

Total 1,562,485 1,344,134 2,906,619 851,723 576,267 1,427,990 2,414,208 1,920,401 4,334,609

DOEUrban Rural Total

Table 12: Primary School Enrolments by DOE, Gender, and Location for 2003/04

32


0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Ninevah

Salaheldin

Tamim

Diala

Baghdad/Risafa

1

Baghdad/Risafa

2

Baghdad/K

arkh1

Baghdad/K

arkh2

Anbar

Babil

Kerbala

Najaf

Qadissia

Muthana

Wasit

Thiqar

Misan

Basra

Dohuk

Erbil

Sulaimaniya

Enr

olm

ent

Figure 2: Primary Enrolments by DOE for 2003/04

The range of enrolments extends from 80,015 in Muthana to 430,254 in Ninevah, a five foldincrease. There are also wide variances between urban and rural enrolments, as is indicated inFigure 3.

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Ninevah

Salaheldin

Tamim

Diala

Baghdad

/Risafa

1

Baghdad

/Risafa

2

Baghdad

/Karkh

1

Baghdad

/Karkh

2

Anbar

Babil

Kerbala

Najaf

Qadissia

Muthana

Wasit

Thiqar

Misan

Basra

Dohuk

Erbil

Sulaimaniya

Enro

lmen

t

Urban Rural

Figure 3: Primary Enrolments by DOE and Location for 2003/04

It will be seen from Figure 3 that primary enrolments in urban areas exceeded those in rural areasin all but three DOEs, the exceptions being Salheldin, Diala and Anbar. Overall, 67% ofenrolments were in urban areas.

At the national level, 56% of primary enrolments were male, and, as is illustrated in Figure 4,male enrolments exceeded those of females in every DOE in 2003/04.

33


0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

Ninevah

Salaheldin

Tamim

Diala

Baghdad

/Risafa

1

Baghdad

/Risafa

2

Baghdad

/Karkh

1

Baghdad

/Karkh

2

Anbar

Babil

Kerbala

Najaf

Qadissia

Muthana

Wasit

Thiqar

Misan

Basra

Dohuk

Erbil

Sulaimaniya

Enr

olm

ent

Male Female

Figure 4: Primary Enrolments by DOE and Gender for 2003/04

The disparity between male and female enrolments is most stark in Ninevah where only 42% ofthe enrolment is female. Even in the Baghdad DOEs where there is greater gender parity femaleenrolments make up only 46% of total enrolments.

The enrolment by grade profile is illustrated in Figure 5.

450000500000550000600000650000700000750000800000850000900000950000

1 2 3 4 5 6

Grade

Enr

olm

ent

Figure 5: Primary Enrolments by Grade for 2003/04

The profile is distinguished by high enrolments in grade 1, a sharp decline between grades 1 and2, a plateau for grades 2 to 5, followed by a sudden decline between grades 5 and 6. The grade 1to 2 pattern is probably due to unusually high demand for grade 1 places because many childrenhad been unable to enroll in the 2002/03 school year for security reasons. The reason for thesudden decline in enrolments between grades 5 and 6 is thought to be related to the introductionin grade 5 of a much more demanding curriculum than in the earlier primary grades. As is

34


illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the grade profiles for urban and rural, male and female, enrolmentsexhibit the same characteristics.

Figure 6: Primary School Enrolments by Location and Grade for 2003/04

Figure 7: Primary School Enrolments by Grade and Gender for 2003/04

Gross Enrolment Ratios: Table 13 sets out GER by governorate, gender and location for2003/04.

0

100000

300000

400000

500000

600000

1 2 3 4 5 6

Grade

Enr

olm

ent

Male Female

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

1 2 3 4 5 6

Grade

Enr

olm

ent

Urban Rural

35




Table 13: Primary School GER by Governorate, Location and Gender for 2003/04

The national GER of 0.98 compares favourably with the average GER of 0.85 for all Arab statesreported in the EFA 2000 Assessment. However, Table 11 shows wide differences betweengovernorates, location and gender. Nationally, there is a substantial gender difference betweenthe male GER of 1.07 and the female of 0.88, and between urban (1.02) and rural (0.90). Themost disadvantaged are girls in rural areas: for example, female GER in the rural area of Misan isonly 0.30, in Wasit 0.43, and in Muthana 0.44. These are low female GERs by any standard ofcomparison. Overall, Misan seems to be the most disadvantaged governorate with a GER of only0.79. As in other

school survey 2003-2004 volume ii (analytical report) · ii iraq school survey 2003-2004: volume ii...

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