IRC-SC Education Assessment in Iraq.pdf

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

October 2010

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment

Iraq

Assessment Report

International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

September, 2010

Rachel McKinney

Education Consultant

Edited by Jennifer Steele

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Table of Contents

Acronyms

Executive Summary

Assessment Overview

Rationale

Methodology

Limitations

Issues to Explore in Greater Depth

Overview of the Education Sector in Iraq

Introduction

Infrastructure

Indicators of Access and Engagement

Curriculum

Teacher Training

Parent Teacher Associations and School Communities

A PTA meeting being held at Qasrok elementary school

Recommendations

Intervention Themes

Potential Program Interventions

Annex 2: The Importance of Educating Girls and Women

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Acronyms

ALP Accelerated Learning Program

CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child

ECD Early Childhood Development

EiE Education in Emergencies

EFA Education For All

FGD Focus Group Discussion

GER Gross Enrollment Rate

GOI Government of Iraq

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome

ICT Information and communication technologies

INEE Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies

IRC International Rescue Committee

MDG Millennium Development Goals

MODM Ministry of Displacement and Migration

MOE Ministry of Education

MOHE Ministry of Higher Education

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

NAR Net attendance Rate

NER Net Enrollment Rate

NGO Non-governmental Organization

PSE Public Sector Expenditure

SC Save the Children

TTI Teacher Training Institute

UN United Nations

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

USAID United States Agency for International Development

USD United States Dollar

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Executive Summary

The Iraqi education system has been negatively affected by its overt politicalization under Saddam

Hussein and decades of conflict that affected its resource base. As a result, a system that was once a model for the region in terms of its quality and accessibility now struggles to provide even the most basic of educational services. Literature reviews, focus group discussions and interviews elucidated the current status of the primary and secondary education sectors and provided areas of potential focus for current and future IRC and SC programming. The assessment suggests that the learning environment needs to be improved, from enhanced teaching methods to improved gender-sensitivity in the classroom.

Of importance is that the issues appear to be more closely related to supply constraints rather than demand limitations. For example, estimates from the Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MODM) indicate that at least 30% of professors, doctors, pharmacists, and engineers fled the country between

2003 and 2007 (UNESCO, 2010a). Furthermore, advances in revising the curriculum are not being met with equal efforts to provide adequate training in its implementation. Training efforts have been piecemeal, of limited duration and inadequately followed through to the classroom level. Teachers have been given few opportunities to improve their skills in the past two decades and new initiatives have done little to ensure teachers have the time and space to understand, internalize and effectively adapt materials and knowledge to the classroom. Furthermore, teacher supervisors and administrative staff are in an equally unenviable position. Significant changes have been made to curriculum and general education policies but the traditional centralized system severely impacts the ability for governorate, district, and school level staff to engage in and apply changes to already stressed learning environments.

The lack of maintenance, repair, and building of new schools in past decades has led to a crisis in the provision of adequate and safe learning environments. For example, only 15,800 primary schools exist of the 19,000 primary schools needed to house Iraq’s current student population. As a result, schooling in shifts is common across Iraq and often results in a shortened school day. Additionally, water and sanitation facilities remain a key concern across the country: ten of 15 governorates included in 2003 data on the availability of water and sanitation in secondary schools had less than 20% functioning water and sanitation facilities on school grounds (OCHA/UNAMI, 2008).

On the demand side, the Iraqi public shows a consistent trend of believing in the value of at least a primary education, if not equally so for boys and girls. Data from a United Nations Children's Fund

(UNICEF)/United Nations Education, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2008 report put the net enrollment rate (NER) at a relatively high 86% and the gross enrollment rate (GER) at 98%

(UNICEF/UNESCO, 2008). When looking at indicators of quality in recent years, it is clear that the inadequate supply of a quality education has failed to meet the demand of populace interested in advancing their education. Of the 98% GER, for example, only an estimated 76% survive to the end of primary school with wide discrepancies found in both enrolment and survival between governorates, gender, and urban/rural populations. Disparities in girls’ education can also be seen in the primary enrollment rates of girls in urban areas (99% girls: boys) and rural areas (70% girls: boys) (IAU, 2010a).

With these realities at hand, there are unfortunately limited opportunities for children and youth who have fallen out of the formal education system. Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP) have made strides in the past few years to ensure that some of those who have fallen out of the system are able to enhance their basic levels of literacy and numeracy. However, although girls and women account for the vast majority of those unable to participate in formal education, only a quarter of ALP students are girls

(IAU, 2010a).

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Such a profile is not unique for a country suffering from decades of conflict. To better anticipate and coordinate their respective approaches to education programming in Iraq, the International Rescue

Committee (IRC) and Save the Children (SC) conducted an assessment in early 2010 looking primarily at basic and secondary level capacity and opportunities. The geographic scope of the assessment was limited to areas in which the IRC and SC presently are or where they plan to work. This included 11 of the 15 governorates, covering north, central and southern Iraq, including both rural and urban areas.1

The technical scope was also limited to areas of interest and reach for the IRC and SC, given their institutional capacities and in recognition of that of other entities active in reconstruction efforts. As such, themes and foci such as child protection, functional literacy, basic opportunities to learn, teacher training and ALP were prioritized over topics such as construction and tertiary education, for example.

The MOE’s plans are in alignment with many of these areas of focus; for example, existing plans speak to the need for a greater focus on capacity development for both management and technical staff at all levels.

However, due to the operating constraints of the post-conflict environment, immediate and timely action on the above points is not expected. As such, it is clear that there is a demand from education sector stakeholders for an accelerated approach to improving the learning environment. The ways that the IRC and SC can best contribute to this priority in the near term appears to lie with the following types of interventions: a) consistency in their communication protocol with all stakeholders regarding the fundamentals of an equitable, accessible and quality learning environment, such as gender equity, child rights and safe spaces; b) institutional capacity building for teachers, supervisors and trainers in issues ranging from classroom management to curriculum content; c) alternative learning opportunities for disconnected and disengaged youth, as well as most vulnerable populations; and d) targeted, basic infrastructure rehabilitation to establish safe spaces.

Arbil, Anbar, Babylon, Baghdad, Basrah, Dhiqar, Dohuk, Kirkuk, Mathana, Missan and Salahdin

A meeting of the parent-teacher association at Al-Sedeq school, Baghdad

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Assessment Overview

Rationale

In 2008, the IRC and SC, having experienced much success with their community-based education programs, recognized a need to expand their education work both geographically and programmatically.

To aid planning and allow better prioritization and coordination of possible interventions, they undertook an assessment of Iraq’s education sector. The assessment, which would be largely qualitative, was intended to complement the quantitative data already gathered by the MOE and various United

Nations (UN) agencies.2 The two agencies decided to conduct a joint exercise not only to avoid research duplication but also to allow them to be consistent and complementary in their approaches. In addition to helping the IRC and SC identify program priorities and possible strategies, the assessment would give voice to those whose lives and work are affected by policies and plans made at the central level, ensuring that even as the IRC, SC, and others planned their education programs, they would do so driven by the perspectives, needs and priorities of the parents, teachers and students they serve.

Donors, NGOs, multilateral and local agencies, the MOE and others have invested significantly in education improvements, dedicating and programming millions of dollars to programs and reforms. The

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has demonstrated particular leadership in this area through infrastructure rehabilitation, teacher training, model school development, materials distribution and related activities (USAID, 2007). Much, however, remains to be done. The IRC and SC are addressing many of these barriers to learning. They build on strengths as community-focused nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by working with parents, schools, community groups, and others to create safe, productive learning environments for children, especially displaced and conflict-affected children.

The IRC

The IRC worked in Iraq in 1992, from 2003 until 2005, and from 2007 until now. Currently IRC is providing support to uprooted Iraqis in some of the country’s most volatile areas, including Baghdad, Anbar, Salahdin and Babylon. The IRC is working in 25 schools, of which over 70% are in Baghdad. With support from a variety of donors (including bilateral donors, private foundations, and corporations), the

IRC’s educational programs:

• Establish “healing classrooms” that help children recover from conflict.

• Mobilize community support for schools and for establishment of safe learning environments

(e.g., through stakeholder capacity building and establishment or revitalization of Parent

Teacher Associations (PTAs).

• Provide post-training support to teachers.

• Provide formal “accelerated” learning opportunities for children and others who were not able to attend school or whose schooling was curtailed by conflict.

• Increase teacher and community access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and enable ICT learning in classrooms through training of trainers and Teacher Training Institute

(TTI) staff.

• Rehabilitate and construct schools and classrooms, and provide other material support.

Note that this quantitative data is not always trustworthy.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Save the Children

SC, operational in Iraq since 1991 with a short pause between 2006 and 2008, concentrates its educational work in nine governorates of Iraq, with a primary focus on Basrah, Diyala, Missan, Thi-Qar, Sulimaniya and Kirkuk. SC’s international teams live and work in these places in the communities ensuring a strong follow up of all programmatic interventions and as well as that the most vulnerable children are reached.

• The goal of the SC’s psychosocial support work has been to both create a safer school environment for children and to ensure that children who do need psychosocial assistance have been appropriately identified, helped or referred on to appropriate body. Specially, o Over 2,000 teachers have been trained in psychosocial techniques o Nearly 100 Child Friendly Spaces have been created, 20 in communities and 78 in schools o Child Protection Committees/School support teams/Parent Teacher Associations , as appropriate to the local context, these types of groups have been created to contribute to the child friendly space environment

• SC is piloting an Early Childhood Development Program across Iraq in locations in Baghdad, Basra and Sulimaniya governorates

• SC supports all of its activities with school rehabilitation, including the extension of water networks to reach schools and health education

• SC’s other primary domain of intervention in Iraq is in the field of Child Protection

Support for the above programs comes from a variety of sources including the UN, private donors and institutional donors.

Methodology

The assessment, which took place between December 2009 and March 2010, included a desk review, FGDs, and interviews with education staff.

Desk review

The desk review gathered information at the macro level about the structure of the education system in

Iraq, both historically and at present. It included a review of documents, reports and data compiled by

UN agencies, NGOs and the MOE, as well as news articles (post-2003) about the education sector. A reference list is included as Annex 1.

Focus group discussions

FGDs were conducted in 11 governorates. They were held with male and female primary- and secondary-level students, teachers, school administrators, parents, teacher supervisors, and TTI and

College of Education staff. The purpose of the FGDs was to gather, through the participation of key education sector stakeholders, information about access and quality indicators of the system itself. To the degree possible, the school selection process was designed to represent boys’ and girls’ schools, rural and urban schools, different socioeconomic and ethnic/religious groups (where relevant) and three levels of schooling (primary, basic, secondary). Specific questions and discussion points were outlined in advance for each group.

Interviews

Interviews and informational meetings were held with MOE and partner organization staff to better understand the context in which the education system functions. In particular, interviews were designed

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children to gather information about funding allocations and strategic priorities as well as the implementation of strategies.

Geographic Scope

Because IRC’s and SC’s programs collectively cover most parts of Iraq, the two agencies were able to facilitate access to schools, students and communities in a significant portion of the country. Data was collected in 11 governorates: Arbil, Anbar, Babylon, Baghdad, Basrah, Dhiqar, Dohuk, Kirkuk, Mathana, Missan and Salahdin. Given the diversity of these locations and their constituents, it is suggested that this assessment can be considered as an adequate country-wide review.

Limitations

Disaggregated FGDs data

Due to safety concerns, most FGDs participants declined to provide their names and their gender information were also not collected. As such, information provided therein was not gender disaggregated.

Security

The initial plan included a gathering of relevant staff to review questions, approaches and target locations, thus providing an opportunity to ensure all staff working on the assessment were well versed in the approach and comfortable conducting FGDs at school level. However, due to travel restrictions, education staff and partners received cursory orientations to assessment materials. Furthermore, assessment activities were forced to continue months after the international consultant’s departure from Iraq.

Issues to Explore in Greater Depth There were several issues that, through the exploration conducted in this assessment, were highlighted as important for further assessment. Namely:

Early childhood development

The assessment tools did not focus on this particular aspect of the education cycle, yet it did bring to light that early childhood development (ECD) programs are an obvious gap in Iraq.

Teacher training

The opportunity to assist the MOE in developing teacher training programs should be further explored.

The assessment uncovered an interest but it remains unclear whether there is the political space or the availability of appropriate staff to carry such training out independently.

Vulnerable sub-groups

The targeting of vulnerable sub-groups (e.g. working children, girls, married girls, displaced children, and others) at the district level should be explored in greater depth.

Overview of the Education Sector in Iraq

Introduction

Iraq once had one of the highest-performing education systems in the region. This was due in large part to the government’s commitment to education: between 1965 and 1969, nearly two-thirds of public

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children sector expenditure (PSE), or 63%, was devoted to education. 3 Commitment declined, however, such that by 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, the PSE for education had dropped to 38%

(Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation, 2008). By 2000, after decades of conflict, economic sanctions, political maneuvering, under-funding and inappropriate use of funds, together with the flight of education staff from the country and/or the profession itself, the education system was struggling to provide basic services. As the recovery period began, however, one of the challenges that has become apparent in relation to education spending relates to management and planning. In 2009, for example, MOE returned a sizeable percentage of their budget allocation to the Ministry of Finance. This is an indication that the MOE does not presently have the capacity to effectively plan and implement their education strategy.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges to the system was the departure of education professionals.

Thousands of teachers and other education professionals, such as principals, school administrators, supervisors, trainers and MOE staff, have left the country in the last ten years (UNOCHA/UNAMI, 2008).

Between 2003 and 2007, for example, an estimated 30% of all Iraqi professors, doctors, pharmacists and engineers fled the country, according to the MODM (UNESCO, 2010a). While some teachers left Iraq because of conflict, others left the profession for economic reasons. Teachers’ salaries, for example, became insufficient to cope with the decreased purchasing power resulting from the economic embargo. Between 1989 and 2004, the average monthly teacher’s salary fell nearly 100%, to only United

States Dollar (USD) 5 per month in some cases (UNESCO, 2004). As a result, many experienced teachers left education to seek better-paid employment elsewhere and in other fields (UNESCO, 2004). The situation is improving: many teachers who left have returned and the Iraqi government has increased pay to help retain teaching staff (Peterson, 2010). However, those teachers who remain have had few opportunities to upgrade their skills or stay current in their content area. Furthermore, there is some unwillingness to locate to areas where the supply of teachers is low: in fact, there is a surplus of teachers in Baghdad who are being paid but are not working. As such, with the return of departed teachers and a new curriculum, the greatest need appears to be in ensuring that teachers are properly trained to help carry out quality education.

Another significant challenge relates to the educational infrastructure. Although the number of educators leaving Iraq, and those targeted by violence, has begun to decrease in the last three years, attacks on schools, students, and teachers remain a concern. Reports of the occupation and/or use of schools and school property by armed factions and the military continued through 2009 (UNESCO, 2010a). Furthermore, the lack of maintenance, repair and construction in past decades now means that

Iraq operates with approximately 3,000 too few schools: half of functioning schools, moreover, need major rehabilitation (OCH/UNAMI, 2008). Much of school disrepair is due to wear and tear that could easily have been addressed by regular maintenance (UNESCO, 2004). Regardless, a shortage of facilities means that much schooling is conducting in shifts, often resulting in shortened school days and thus negative impacts on the opportunity to learn. Water and sanitation facilities at schools also remain a key concern across the country. In 2003, for example, within 10 of 15 governorates in central and southern

Iraq, fewer than 20% of schools had adequate water and sanitation facilities (UNESCO, 2004). This deficiency has been a contributing factor in keeping many children, and particularly adolescent girls, from attending school.

The nation of Kurdistan in northern Iraq has its own Ministry of Education, headquartered in Arbil, separate from that which oversees education in southern and central Iraq, which is headquartered in Baghdad. These ministries operate independently but in similar ways and thus unless otherwise stated, statistics and programs presented as being related to the MOE capture both entities.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

In part because of the decrease in the supply of teachers and adequate education spaces, enrolment and attendance rates have also been affected.

The data suggests, however, that demand for education does exist in Iraq and is primarily affected in the short term by temporary reductions in enrolment and attendance, likely due to conflict and its affect on educational infrastructure and supply figures. For example, between

1990 and 2006, male primary NER and female primary NER increased from roughly 82% to 95% for boys and from roughly 78% to 81% for girls (UNICEF, 2008). Net attendance ratio (NAR) rates were approximately 5% less for boys and

1% less for girls, showing relatively strong demand and good indications regarding access; similar trends could be seen at the secondary level (UNICEF, 2008). However, despite positive trends in overall NER and NAR rates and progress with gender parity, there are still gaps that need to be addressed, and particularly so in rural areas, where female primary NER is 77% compared to a female to male ratio of

99% in urban contexts (IAU, 2010a). Moreover, only an estimated 81% of those currently enrolled will complete primary school, with large differentials found in both enrollment and completion among governorates, between girls and boys, and between urban and rural populations (UNICEF, 2010).

ECD and other opportunities to prepare children for school are almost nonexistent in Iraq, with the result that only 3% of preschool-aged children attend preschool (mostly in urban areas), according to

UNICEF (UNICEF, 2007). UNICEF is reportedly supporting the MOE to develop an ECD framework and revise an existing ECD curriculum (IAU, 2010a).

When children and youth leave or are not able to access the formal education system, there are few venues for accessing educational opportunities. ALPs have made strides in the past few years, helping some children and youth gain basic literacy and numeracy skills, but there are too few programs to accommodate those who might benefit from them. Girls and women, moreover, are insufficiently represented in these courses: they account for the vast majority of those unable to participate in or complete formal education, but only one-third of ALP students are female (UNICEF, 2010).

By the early 2000s, the education system was catering to an estimated total population of 25 million.

Approximately 97% of the population is Muslim and 3% is Christian. Although Arabic is the official language of Iraq, with approximately 75% speaking it as their mother tongue, the Kurdish nation of

Kurdistan in northern Iraq has adopted Kurdish as their official language.

Infrastructure

Students at Bardarash school in Kurdistan.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

The weakened infrastructure of the education system was further exacerbated by increased violence in the country from 2003 to present. Any existing infrastructure and material resources, poorly maintained during the previous decade, were subject to the large-scale looting seen across the country after Saddam Hussein’s fall from power. A number of school buildings in communities caught in armed conflict were burned or damaged in the conflict.

This only increased the issue of access to schools and that of the protection of the school population. Ministry buildings were not spared and innumerable reports, data, and examination records were destroyed. The destruction and looting of secondary schools was particularly devastating to the sciences, as laboratories and equipment were destroyed. Poorly maintained and limited existing water and sanitation facilities in schools were another key issue. Long an area of concern, given damage incurred during the first Gulf War and poor maintenance during the sanctions period, such facilities were further damaged during the more recent conflict such that, by 2003, only

15% of secondary schools had functioning latrines

(UNESCO, 2004). Although the data only indicates a significant drop in girls’ enrollment between primary, intermediate and secondary education without eliciting reasons, the lack of facilities would have been a particular concern for female students reaching puberty and needing access to water and sanitation facilities during menstruation (UNESCO, 2004).

Number of Schools Reporting War-related Incidents, by Governorate

Governorate Looting Burning Bombing Total

Anbar 49 8 15 72

Basrah 150 47 30 227

Muthnna 54 11 1 66

Qadissiya 38 5 4 47

Sulyaymaniyah 10 1 1 12

Babylon 54 6 9 69

Baghdad 359 38 174 571

Dahuk 7 0 0 7

Thi-Qar 79 12 32 123

Diyala 132 10 5 147

Arbil 1 0 0 1

Karbala 57 9 12 78

Tameem 102 16 7 125

Missan 57 7 2 66

Ninewa 116 18 17 151

Wassit 57 7 14 78

Najaf 73 7 4 84

Salah Al-Din 95 14 37 146

Total 1,490 216 364 2,070

Source: (UNESCO, 2004). Incidents from 2003.

This school has a blackboard frame but no blackboard.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

In the 2009 UNICEF/UNESCO report, a reported 16,500 primary schools were sharing 13,000 buildings, although anecdotal inputs and observations suggest that these figures do not reflect the severity of the issues. The sharing of facilities creates a need for shifts and, in fact, many of the FGDs were conducted in schools with double or triple shifts. For example, SC is working in

Basra, where there are 1,943 schools operating out of 923 buildings; just over 900 schools operate with triple shifts, 600 schools use double shifts and approximately 300 schools use single shifts. Conversations with

MOE representatives suggest a total deficit of 11,000 buildings. The shift system has led to shortened school days to ensure each shift has a minimum number of hours in class each day. Thus, the lack of adequate numbers of classrooms and schools has led to a compromise on the quality of schooling. Many students in the FGDs mentioned attending classes with 40 to 60 students, with inadequate furnishings for that number, and (for those in the shift system) shortened learning days. The sharing of buildings affects not only the time and space needed to complete the full curriculum (assuming teachers are capable of teaching full curriculum), including the arts and “secondary” subjects, but also impacts administrative and teaching staff. Sharing space also disrupts the process of preparation and follow-up of daily activities. But overcrowding of schools and an insufficient current infrastructure situation do not highlight the future needs as well:

with a population growth rate of 2.5%, additional school spaces need to be built in anticipation of future capacity (CIA, 2010).

Participants in every FGD conducted at the school level indicated a need for additional support in infrastructure. New infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities, buildings and classrooms, laboratories, libraries and computer centers, is high on the list of priorities amongst community members. Several of the senior NGO education staff interviewed noted that the provision and maintenance of infrastructure was not a role NGOs should or could readily assume. However, several staff members indicated that there needed to be a more transparent process for identifying infrastructure needs and allocating funds, suggesting a possible need for NGO “watchdogs” within the system.

Regardless, several factors have plagued reconstruction and maintenance efforts, including insufficient funding, the presence of capable partners, the need to rely on less known contractors and sub-contractors due to insecurity, rushed timeframes, corruption, poor management of initiatives, poor quality of some building materials and inconsistency in involving communities in participatory efforts.

Some schools had in fact received update water and sanitation facilities. However, several of the schools that had received support from organizations or the military in the past seven years, specifically water and sanitation facilities, had damaged or destroyed water points and latrines. The causes for this vary.

Students at Qarachokh school in Makhmur.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

One issue is that, often by the time that the maintenance grants reach the school at the sub-district level, the funds have been pilfered or reallocated so that virtually no funds remain for maintenance and repairs. Teachers and staff also indicated that the surrounding communities had access to the facilities after school hours and had both purposefully or accidentally caused damage. Lack of cleaning personnel and protocols for the use of water and sanitation facilities by teachers and students also stressed the systems and caused damage over time. The destruction of newly reconstructed school infrastructure was also said to be the result of children unhappy with ill-treatment and a lack of child friendly spaces at schools (Discussion with Save the Children staff, January 2010).

Water, and specifically potable water, was listed as a priority need by the vast majority of schools assessed. While damages to infrastructure are a cause of supply limitations, in some areas, the lack of water may also be caused by limited groundwater or aquifers (USAID, 2006). The Director of Education in Diyala expressed grave concern over water in his governorate, listing it as a priority above all other needs. Regardless of the reason, water and sanitation is an obvious need and impacts students’ access to a safe and protective learning environment.

Indicators of Access and Engagement

In general, indicators of educational quality are mixed in Iraq. Repetition rates are on the higher end of relatively average rates for the region and the primary and secondary NER are slightly lower than average. Overall, it can be posited that, despite the decline in indicators of both supply and demand, the framework for a strong education system exists.

The issue of gender is, as expected, a key factor regarding school access, engagement and success. Data related to girls is incorporated into the sections below, but it is important to highlight that the status of girls’ access to and success in school is less than that of boys. A recent UNICEF (2010) report on the status of girls’ education in Iraq shows that gender inequality continues. For example, girls’ enrollment rates under compulsory primary education policies are not significant in contrast to those before EFA. This suggests that the barriers to education are likely still social and cultural. Accordingly, the report also found that the role of the father was critical to decision making about girls education, and especially related to later years of education, when enrollment rates successively decrease for girls. While commonalities regarding girls’ engagement with schools in Iraq exist, it is important to note and address the regional and governorate level differentiations, such as enrollment and retention rates.

Enrollment

Although urban primary NER is reportedly 99% for both boys and girls, rural primary NER is 77% and

70%, respectively. Less than half of children (44%) complete primary school within the expected timeframe and at the expected age. Net intermediate school enrollment, moreover, was 37% in 2007, A young girl at a Al Moaheb ALP school in Baghdad.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children while net secondary school enrollment was 21% (IAU, 2010a). Interviews conducted with displaced students from Baghdad and Sadr City, currently residing in makeshift camps in northern Kurdish-speaking governorates, indicate that urban enrollment of primary aged children is lower than 99%.

Though anecdotal, such suppositions suggest that the data provided on indicators such as enrollment and attendance may be inflated.

Disparities in enrollment amongst ethnic groups also exist within the same geographic areas. In 2009, for example, 85% of Kurdish-speaking students in contested areas of Diyala governorate reached Grade

6, compared with 64% of Arabic-speaking students, according to Diyala’s Director of Education (January

2010). Such disparities suggest that program intervention areas such as teacher training and curriculum development will have to receive attention and specifically in relation to that which provides equal learning opportunities for children regardless of their identity.

Late Grade 1 intake

Seventeen percent of children begin school after the official starting age, with rates higher in some rural areas: 34% of children in Muthana and Maysan governorates, for example, start Grade 1 late. Late enrollment of children in Grade 1 and limited access to preschool raise concerns about the ability of children to transition effectively to primary school.

Literacy

Literacy rates in Iraq suggest both broad scale quality issues with basic education well as gender-and geographic-specific implications. Twenty percent of Iraqis are illiterate and, at roughly 25%, female illiteracy is nearly double male illiteracy rates (IAU, 2010b). As would be expected, illiteracy rates in urban areas are lower than those in rural areas, at nearly half the rate, and functional literacy in rural areas showed even more significant disparities. Female youth in rural areas, for example, had a functional literacy rate of 50% compared to nearly 80% in urban areas (IAU, 2010b).

Repetition

Approximately 600,000 Iraqi students had to repeat a primary school grade in 2007-08, including 15% of boys and 10% of girls, though these rates differ by region. For example, Sulimaniya has lower primary school repetition rates (6.5%) while Babel has higher rates (21%) (UNICEF/UNESCO, 2009). In northern

Iraq, children in Grades 1-3 automatically progress to the next grade, regardless of achievement; if it were otherwise, repetition rates would presumably be higher than they presently are. Automatic progression likely presents challenges for students and teachers in later grades because the system may not discover, and begin to address, student deficiencies until that student reaches Grade 4. The fact that many children repeat grades or are indiscriminately passed, combined with high numbers of late intakes, leads to classes containing a wide range of ages and skills, putting additional stress on both student and teacher (UNICEF/UNESCO, 2009).

Absenteeism

The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Survey, Iraq 2008 found that, of the 90% of children under the age of 15 who identified as full-time students, 86% attended school irregularly, presumed to be less than 80% of the time. Sixty of those attending irregularly mentioned security as the main reason for their irregular attendance, while 63% mentioned distance to the school and 16% mentioned financial hardship (Save the Children, 2009).

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Dropouts

Between the academic years of 2006-07 and 2007-08, approximately 105,000 students dropped out of school, or 2% of enrolled boys and girls. The highest risk of dropout was between Grades 5 and 6, following the Grade 5 examination (UNICEF/UNESCO, 2009). Education attainment rates from 2006-07

(see table below) illustrate the challenges for both girls and boys of completing the full education cycle

(OCHA/UNAMI, 2008).

Education Attainment Rates, 2006-07

No Education (%) Primary (%) Intermediate (%) Secondary (%)

Males (5-50) 15 43 20 16

Females (5-50) 27 43 15 10

Source: OCHA/UNAMI, 2008

Gender-Parity Index – Primary School (Ratio) Gender-Parity Index – Secondary Level (Ratio)

Nineveh 0.84

Salahuddin 0.81

Diala 0.93

Baghdad 0.98 Al-Anbar 0.9

Babil 0.83Kerbala 0.92

Al-Najaf 0.89

Al-Qadisiya 0.81

Al-Muthanna 0.73

Thi-Qar 0.84

Wasit 0.84

Missan 0.67

Basrah 0.92

Dohuk 0.97

Erbil 0.93

Suleimaniya 0.96 Kirkuk 0.85

Nineveh 0.44

Salahuddin 0.46

Diala 0.79

Baghdad 0.84 Al-Anbar 0.63

Babil 0.72Kerbala 0.84

Al-Najaf 0.87

Al-Qadisiya 0.85

Al-Muthanna 0.72

Thi-Qar 0.74

Wasit 0.7

Missan 0.73

Basrah 0.75

Dohuk 0.92

Erbil 0.84

Suleimaniya 1.08

Kirkuk 0.59

Source: OCHA/UNAMI, 2008. Note: Darker colors indicate a higher parity ratio

Gender-Parity Index for Primary and Secondary Schools by Governorate, Iraq, 2006

Governorate Gender-Parity Index

Primary School 2006

Gender-Parity Index

Secondary School 2006

Nineveh 0.84 0.44

Kirkuk 0.85 0.59

Diyala 0.93 0.79

Al-Anbar 0.90 0.63

Baghdad 0.98 0.84

Babel 0.83 0.72

Karbala 0.92 0.84

Wasit 0.84 0.70

Salahuddin 0.81 0.46

Al-Najaf 0.89 0.87

Al-Qadisiya 0.81 0.85

Al-Muthanna 0.73 0.72

Thi-Qar 0.84 0.74

Missan 0.67 0.73

Basrah 0.92 0.75

South/Central Iraq 0.87 0.71

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

Dohuk 0.97 0.92

Sulimaniya 0.96 1.08

Arbil 0.93 0.84

Kurdistan Region 0.95 0.96

Iraq 0.88 0.75

Source: OCHA/UNAMI, 2008

Student attitudes toward schooling and teachers

Enrollment, attendance, and completion rates could be affected by negative student and family attitudes about their teachers, schools and classes. Less than two-thirds of Iraqis (63%) had a positive perception of their local schools in 2009, a slight drop from the 2004-05 level of 70% (IAU, 2010a). When talking about why they attended school, many students participating in FGDs said they did so because it was their “duty,” something they did to please their families, while others said they attended school to spend time with friends. Although this may be a typical response regardless of the country, it is clear that many students feel little personal incentive to actively participate in class. The engagement of all school-aged children remains a concern and will likely have a longer-term impact on literacy levels.

Students involved in FGDs in all targeted governorates were eager to speak negatively about their teachers. Students in Missan, for example, described their teachers as “stupid” and “not even knowing how to teach.” Others recognized that teachers were not able to convey information in large classes and teachers were tired because of the number of students and the context in which they were expected to teach. Others mentioned bullying and corporal punishment as factors in creating an unfriendly learning environment. It was clear from FGD comments that the ability of a teacher to engage and support students plays an important role in a student’s desire to participate in school. Students participating in

FGDs across the country complained of the extra expense involved in obtaining tutors because their teachers were not sufficiently knowledgeable (e.g., about science) or because the number of students in the classroom meant that students could not get the individual attention they needed.

Corporal punishment

Corporal punishment seemed to be an issue in many of the schools represented by the FGDs. One boy told of being beaten by a teacher when he didn’t understand the content of a lesson (Baghdad Focus

Group, January 2010). Community members in Missan and Basra expressed a strong desire to stop corporal punishment and prevent teachers from “beating children” and “practicing violence” (Missan and Basra Focus Groups, January 2010). At least one group of parents thought there was a clear correlation between the level of violence in the community and the level of corporal punishment in the school (Baghdad Focus Group, January 2010). Such statements imply a correlation between violence in the school environment and that in the community: programming implications are thus that schools in communities with higher incidences of violence should be specifically targeted for safe space-related programming. FGDs suggested that teachers and teacher trainers are aware that new teaching and discipline methods exist, but in the absence of training and supportive supervision, they are not able to effect such changes in the classrooms.

Economic constraints

Although some students said that obtaining certificates was a reason to attend school, the economic situation of many families and the broader economic situation in the country (specifically, the dearth of employment in the formal sector) can also have a negative impact on enrollment and attendance. Many students, when asked about absenteeism, said that financial considerations kept some children they

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children knew from attending school, given that these children needed to help support their families. The costs of schooling for these students were also mentioned as being prohibitive.

Limited accelerated learning

Although the government, with support from UNICEF and a number of NGOs, is attempting to provide educational opportunities to those who have left the formal education system, the quality and relevance of ALP certificates of completion have recently been called into question. Concerns center on the most appropriate and timely skills that are needed by graduates as well as the overall quality of the accelerated education they have received. Additionally, although the program is perhaps more appropriate for girls who have had to withdraw from school or who did not have access to school in rural areas, the vast majority of students in ALP classes are comprised of male students (UNESCO, 2004).

An ALP teacher from Sadr City said that the program afforded married girls their only opportunity to continue their education, noting that girls who had dropped out of school due to violence or the need to work and care for family could have access to educational opportunities through ALP. Unfortunately, ALP only allows students to complete the equivalent of primary school and few to no programs presently exist at the secondary level; ALP teachers participating in FGDs expressed strong wishes that the program be expanded to also allow students of secondary school- age to continue their education

(Sadr City, Baghdad, January 2010).

Curriculum

Curriculum reform

The tone of the pre-2003 curriculum pointed to a focus on education about and for the Ba’ath Party and its principles. The education system as a means of creating active, engaged, and critical citizens was seemingly no longer valued (Wang, 2005). The richness of one of the oldest civilizations in the world was disregarded as the Ba’ath Party established a system of indoctrination and inserted loyal party members and Ba’ath Party messages into every level of the education system. Wang (2005) quotes a

2003 USA Today article which described a fifth grade Iraqi history textbook including references to the

1991 Gulf War as "’the Mother of all

Battles launched by American and Zionist aggression and 30 nations.’" Wang (2005) also quotes a New York Times article on

October 1, 2003, as stating that “an elementary school teacher at the Tigris

School for Girls in Baghdad said of Hussein, ’We had to include him in every lesson plan or we'd be in trouble with the Baath

Party.’" In contrast, a representative of the

MOE in Kurdistan claims it did its best to distance itself from the trends of the MOE in Baghdad. From 1991, according to the

Director of Curriculum at Kurdistan’s MOE, the curriculum in Kurdistan was stripped of the regime-oriented materials and continuously strengthened to the degree possible given technical capacities.

The dismantling of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime led to the mass firing of senior staff in the MOE, the removal of party loyalists at all levels and the removal of curriculum developed under the regime

Students at Qarachokh school in Makhmur.

Primary and Secondary Education Assessment: Iraq International Rescue Committee and Save the Children

(January 2010). Teachers found to be using the curriculum were targeted for immediate dismissal (H.

Kutcher, August 2008). Unfortunately, absent a redress system or a means for rapidly retraining teachers in a new curriculum, many teachers lost their livelihoods. Remarkably, there is little documentation on the expectations of teachers during the initial removal of the curriculum and textbooks; the planning process seems to have been incomplete.

Although there was a general belief amongst stakeholders, both internal and external to Iraq, of the importance of developing a new curriculum based on innovations and global trends earlier ignored by the Ba’athist regime there were differing opinions as to who should have the mandate to control content (Coalition Provisional Authority, 2004). Representatives of the MOE in both Baghdad and Arbil made strong statements about being in complete control of the curriculum, although the Director of

Curriculum in MOE Kurdistan stated they were open to external support on several of the initiatives

(FGD in Arbil and Baghdad, January 2010).

Disconnect between the national curriculum and communities

The disconnect between communities and the national curriculum (both in Kurdistan and in southern and central Iraq) is of particular concern. There are no systems in place to regularly assess the response of communities to curricular and other education reforms. Parents involved in FGDs stated that the new curriculum was too complex for their children and highlighted the specific issue of language. Language of instruction is defined by the language of the community (Arabic or Kurdish); however, in an effort to enhance its international standing, and presumably to ensure greater future competitiveness, the

English language has become a dominant subject in the curriculum. Few resources exist at the community level to support teachers and students in this process of introducing English in the early grades and continuing through the entire cycle of education. A further complicating factor is that, because of the complexity of curriculum changes and the focus on English, parents feel less able to support children in their homework. This fact is of course exacerbated by the economic situation and illiteracy of many parents, contributing to their perceived inability to provide significant support.

The need to simplify the curriculum, both for the student and the teacher, was noted by many FGD participants as a priority (January 2010). In FGDs conducted with teacher trainers, school personnel, parents and students, there was an overwhelming consensus that the curricula is inappropriate, with the level of information perceived to be above the student’s cognitive abilities. Arbil TTI staff representatives went so far as to say that the “curricula is suitable in Scotland where children have rich classroom environment and enough time to learn, do homework [and] have extracurricular activities”

(FGD in Arbil, January 2010). One MOE staff member in Baghdad, also a mother of a 16 year old student who was failing out of school, said “the curriculum is far from relevant and does not meet the needs of the students” (FGD in Baghdad, January 2010). She complained that the changes in curriculum were made too quickly for political reasons, with “politics affecting children at all levels,” and did not reflect the real needs of students.

The actual availability of learning materials is an issue across Iraq. The vast majority of FGDs conducted in central and southern Iraq mentioned the delay in textbooks and teaching materials distribution as a significant source of concern for the schools. Many teachers stated that textbooks arrived at the schools months into the academic year; this not only posed problems in terms of completing the curriculum within the academic year but put additional stress on students preparing for examinations. It is unclear whether the delay is a result of delayed printing or logistics needed to move textbooks into more remote areas. Delays in the provision of textbooks and teaching materials, combined with shortened days due to shifts, have sometimes resulted in cuts to other parts of the curriculum. For example, the

Primary and…