Iraq Faces Schools Crisis

He added, “School [employees] had to work double shifts sometimes, and three schools were merged in one building to accommodate the large number of students. Some teachers have also volunteered to give extracurricular lessons to displaced pupils."

Shaheed al-Ghalibi, head of the Education Committee at the Dhi Qar provincial council, told Al-Monitor, “The large number of students is intimidating for the teachers, as they are no longer able to control the class. The class period was reduced to less than 45 minutes.”

Ghalibi said, “The Education Directorate in the Dhi Qar governorate has been merging schools to be able to accommodate the large numbers of students, with one building including four different schools. There are more than 90 slum schools in the governorate, with about half a million students.”

On March 3, the Baghdad Investment Commission said in a press statement that it intends to build about 50 private schools in the capital, while the provincial council expressed support for the establishment of public schools through payment on credit, which will be funded by the Baghdad Investment Commission.

Parliamentarian Ahmed Taha, member of the parliamentary Higher Education and Scientific Research Committee, told Al-Monitor, “The lack of planning has caused a discrepancy between population density and the number of schools. This is not to mention the rampant corruption, causing the funds allocated for school construction since 2003 to be wasted.”

Building a new Iraqi generation will remain a difficult task to achieve, as long as the educational process is not rectified in Iraqi schools. The first step on this path would be to increase the number of schools in a way that goes in line with the population density. They also need to be equipped with modern education equipment and means, providing convenience and comfort to students to encourage them to attend classes.