Introduction

The official educational cycle in Iraq extends to 12 years, including 6

years of mandatory primary education, which starts from the age of six
years, followed by 3 years of intermediate school, then 3 years of
secondary education, which is divided into general secondary of scientific
and literary and secondary vocational industrial, agricultural or
commercial.
Students who finish high school and get the minimum qualifications for
post-graduation study join universities or technical institutes, which extend
study for four years at a minimum.
The students of teachers institute as well as students of secondary
vocational types who get excellent grades in the final examinations can
join colleges and universities to pursue higher education.
Pre-primary Education
Preschools serve children of age 4 to 5 years.

Primary School
Students are eligible for enrollment at age 6.
Primary School consists of 6 grades. The passing of a national
examination and receipt of Primary School Certificate makes them eligible
to attend Intermediate School.
Primary education is suffering due to the difficult economic conditions,
which leads to parents either not sending their children to school or
children dropping out of school at an early age.
Moreover, there is frustration among teachers because of low salaries,
severe shortage of textbooks and teaching aids, and miscommunication
between teachers and parents.
One of the most prominent problems of primary education is the high rates
of failed students.
Causes of failed students include: the lack of qualified teachers, poor
conditions of schools, lack of textbooks and teaching materials, child labor
to increase family income and increment of labor to increase family
income and increment of student density in classrooms.
Intermediate School
Students then attend Intermediate Schooling, grades 7-9. Upon completion
of the 9th grade, students take the National Intermediate Baccalaureate
Examination. Upon passing, students can then enter a secondary general or
vocational school.
Some schools in Iraq include only intermediate stage and therefore the
students have to complete the preparatory education (secondary level Il) at
another school. Most schools have intermediate and secondary stages; the
student chooses after the first year in the preparatory stage either literary or
scientific study.
There is a need to bring experts from abroad to train secondary teachers,
because the local trainers have been isolated from international
developments and are in need for modernizing.
Intermediate school students take 34 classes per week including subjects
of Islamic education, Arabic language, English, Science (Physics,
Chemistry and Biology), history, geography, social studies, mathematics,
fine art education, and military physical education. The female students
take additional lessons in household education. Some elective courses are
added to the preparatory stage, such as Kurdish, sociology, economics, and
patriotism education. Evening classes are exempted from physical
education and military training, organizing some out-of-curriculum
activities.
Secondary School
Students attend Secondary School from 10-12th grades. In lraq there are
two categories of Secondary Schools: General and Vocational.
General schools offer a well-rounded education with a
Literary/Humanities track and Scientific track. There are three branches of
Vocational schools: Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial.
Agricultural schools prepare students for a job in the crops-raising field;
Industrial schools prepare students for a job in auto machinery, metal
work, or in other industrial sectors; and Commercial prepares students for
a job in business administration or accounting. Students are eligible for
graduation in the twelfth grade. To complete Secondary School and receive
a certificate of completion, each student must take a Baccalaureate exam.
If a student does not pass this exam on attempt one, he/she is able to attend
school for one more year and try to pass it again. If the student does not
pass the exam a second time, he/she is not eligible to attend any other
college or school.
This strict education policy is what leads many teenagers to the streets,
vulnerable to terrorism groups, as they have no ability to get a job or
produce an income.
Secondary education consists of two phases, each 3 years. The first three
years constitute intermediate school, leading to the baccalaureate from the
third level, and the remaining three years constitute a preparatory stage
leading to the baccalaureate level of the sixth. According to the Ministry of
Education, secondary schooling in Iraq faces severe problems, such as a
lack of infrastructure of schools and educational institutions, a lack of
qualified teachers, the failure of the curricula to follow the developments
of the global academic standards and a lack of textbooks and teaching aids.
Some pupils in secondary education have only one textbook available to
be used by five or six students.

Technical and Vocational Training

Vocational training is a branch of the secondary education system. The
Iraqi students have the right to choose the vocational secondary education
immediately after the intermediate stage instead of continuing education in
the academic year. The vocational centers aim to provide students with
professional and technical skills in order to prepare them to engage in
various types of careers after graduation. The vocational training stage
extends to three years leading to public examinations. The top 10% with
the best scores of the students can continue their studies in technical
colleges.
Although the students have the freedom to choose among the main four
branches of vocational education, this right does not exist always in
practice, either because of lack of containment of all branches at the
vocational school, the geographical distribution of schools, or availability
in some places and non-existence of them in others.
Teachers Training
In 1984 / 1985, the Ministry of Education began to upgrade the role of
teachers to Teacher Training Institutes. These institutes accept graduates of
intermediate stage and its study extends for a period of 5 years divided into
3 years of general education and two years of specialization. Students can
choose to be specialized in Islamic studies, Arabic language,
English language, Mathematics, Science, Physical education and Fine arts.
Students can complete their studies in university colleges afterwards.
In addition to Teacher Training Institutes, a Central Training Teachers
Institute was founded in Iraq. These institutes accept graduates of
secondary level of secondary schools « Class 12th » where the students
receive specialized study for two years.
The Colleges of Education in universities train teachers who are likely to
join the teaching field at secondary level. Some of the graduates of these
colleges preferred to teach at the primary stage to secondary stage because
they preferred to work in a close geographical area to their residences
where sometimes there were no residences where sometimes there were no
secondary schools around.
In northern Iraq, UNESCO has held a number of diverse in-service
training courses for teachers in various stages of secondary education and
most of the stages of higher education as part of its duties under the Oil for
Food program. More than 1,000 teachers, inspectors and headmasters have
benefited from these courses in a variety of subjects (teaching methods,
management, and basic skills in English and computer .. etc.) during 2001
and 2002. These programs targeted teachers in both urban and rural areas
through self-education packages, coupled with direct follow-up for
Teachers Training Centers.
The major problems of the teachers include: teachers' low salaries,
discouraging vocational participation, a shortage of teachers, especially in
the subjects of English, math (often times teachers shift to private sector
where there is higher payment rates). Furthermore, there is no time, energy
or income source enough to develop teachers professionally. Because of
the harsh conditions in Iraq, they neither have the means to communicate
with foreign colleagues nor have access to reference books, modern
periodicals and computers and Internet that help in professional
development.

Higher Education
Iraq is home to the some of the oldest universities in the world. Al-
Mustansiriya University was established in 1280. Higher education
institutions in Iraq consist of 19 universities (including 3 in the north); 9
technical colleges (in the center and south) and 38 technical colleges
(including 11 in the north).

By: Aland Rzgar