Call to Open Another American University in Iraq

In addition, Adeeb is widely known as a party hawk and a representative of Dawa's politically and intellectually militant base. Thus his call — which recognizes the West’s intellectual progress and offers self-criticism of the educational situation in Iraq — signals a significant shift in the thinking of both the minister and his party.

This is not, however, the first time that Adeeb has pointed out, whether explicitly or implicitly, that higher education in Iraq has failed to produce graduates with modern educations, critical-thinking skills and creative abilities. In fact, he has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with university-level education in Iraq. It remains unclear, however, why his ministery, which is responsible for universities, has been unable to change this reality or implement initiatives to improve higher education.

Most Iraqi universities are public institutions that employ rigid educational methods. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi students graduate each year from high school and then are sent to public universities in accordance with centralized standards that rarely take into consideration students' particular qualifications and preferences.

Most university professors are hired on a permanent basis as government employees and according to centralized distribution, rather than competition. The hiring process is riddled with cronyism, nepotism and corruption, as is the case throughout Iraqi government institutions. As a result, university professors often lack incentives to improve their performance.

In recent years, the level of graduate studies has declined due to the lack of competition. Advanced degrees are granted to mediocre students without good educational records and often without even minimal knowledge of a foreign language. A graduate degree has become a way to gain social status or to get promoted in a government position. Now, many officials are using their influence to obtain certificates without doing any real research or scientific work.