Schools and Universities Deserted for Fear of Violence

A joint study by the Iraqi Ministry of Education and UNICEF informes that in Iraq, schools and universities are likely to continue emptying throughout 2007 if there is no let up to current levels of violence and the displacement it causes. Roger Wright, UNICEF representative for Iraq, said: “Iraq’s education system needs a great deal more investment and attention to survive this time of crisis”.

Fear of death, violence and kidnapping are keeping children from schools, parents prefer to have them home rather than dreading every every school day. University Professors are fleeing the country in fear of their lives.

According to the Ministry of Higher Education, at least 280 academics have been killed since the US-led invasion in 2003 by insurgents and militias. UN news reports that ‘experts have raised concerns saying that if professionals continue fleeing Iraq on a daily basis the country will be depleted of academics and the level of education in Iraq will drop drastically’. Paul Colley, a London-based independent analyst declared: "By removing those groups [of people such as intellectuals], the insurgents are aiming to eliminate all support for a democratic society. [...] Students who are graduating have the same level of information like a first year undergraduate during Saddam's regime. This shows how the structure of education has deteriorated and will bring serious problems in the future".

The Ministry of Displacement and Migration said that at least 30 per cent of the total numbers of professors, doctors, pharmacists and engineers in Iraq have fled to neighbouring countries like Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and United Arab States (UAE) but some have travelled to as far as the US, Canada, Australia and Britain.

Furthemore in a UN News article it is reported that at least 110 children have been killed and 95 injured since 2005 in attacks in schools carried out in the country. These numbers do not include children killed or injured on their way to or from school. According to a report released last year by NGO Save the Children, 818,000 primary school-aged children, representing 22 percent of Iraq’s student population, were not attending school (74% of these are female). The number seems to be increasing.

Muhammad Tammin, a spokesman at the Iraqi Ministry of Education stated: “Teachers are fleeing the country on a daily basis, leaving schools without experienced teachers. Educational standards in Iraq have severly worsen he then added: “Violence against teachers is making them look for more secure places to work or even stay at home. We must also not forget that hundreds of teachers are themselves displaced and can no longer go to teach at their regular schools.”

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Alert - Iraq