Call to Open Another American University in Iraq

These practices have harmed the reputation of Iraqi universities because they are graduating “professors” who are not qualified to teach and who cannot access up-to-date scientific sources, which are rarely in Arabic. These professors therefore end up imparting inadequate knowledge to students in an educational system devoid of individual initiative and critical research.

Adeeb's invitation to open an American university is an implicit acknowledgment of how difficult it is to reform the higher education system. Certainly, an American university in Iraq would contribute to reviving competitiveness in the educational system and help graduate qualified students with modern educations, as is done at the American University of Beirut and the American University in Cairo.

With the high cost of studying at an American university compared to an Iraqi university, a new American school would probably only attract wealthy students, mostly the sons and daughters of senior state officials and the businesspeople allied with them. Many qualified students who lacking adequate financial resources would likely be unable to attend. In the long run, this could further perpetuate elitism in Iraqi education, which already seems an inescapable outcome given the poor performance of the public university system.

The opening of an American university would, nonetheless, be a positive sign, especially as it would have the supported of and be facilitated by the Ministry of Education. Bringing about a real shift in the Iraqi university system, however, will require a courageous reform initiative by the government, and that has not yet happened.