NEW REPORT: Gaps in Formal Education in Iraq Education Consortium of Iraq

From August - December 2021 the Education Consortium of Iraq (ECI) membered by NRC, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and Nonviolent Peaceforce conducted a study to investigate gaps in formal education service provision at the primary and secondary level to better understand the ongoing challenges and barriers affecting the education sector in Iraq. The research focused on three components of education: first, education infrastructure including physical infrastructure; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, and technology infrastructure; second, education personnel including both contract teachers (paid) and volunteer lecturers (unpaid/low-paid); and third, reintegration services for out-of-school children. The geographical scope of the research covered the governorates of Anbar, Diyala, Dohuk, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah ad-Din, and also examined cross-cutting themes of inclusion, gender, sustainability, protection/psychosocial support, and COVID-19. The research has shown that large gaps exist in the formal education sector in Iraq, largely due to lack of government funding to support basic education services, including rehabilitation of schools, and low teacher recruitment, retention and training. Compounding challenges over the last several years— including the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the protracted impact of conflict—have made it increasingly difficult for children in Iraq to access even basic education services. Barriers to access combined with quality issues within schools have resulted in a generation of under-educated children in the country who face a difficult future. 

The report also found:

-          More than half of the schools surveyed need to be rehabilitated to meet basic hygiene and safety standards

-          More than 90 percent of schools surveyed in Kirkuk lack drinking water

-          92 percent of schools lacked ramps or elevators for children with disabilities

-          3.6 percent of students dropped out of the 2020-2021 school year, which amounts to thousands leaving their education

Read Report Full report here