The ministry issued a statement March 13 confirming there are 15 unaccredited colleges and institutes in Iraq. The ministry called for shutting them down and warned students against applying to them in the coming academic year. If the institutions do not gain accreditation, they will be considered illegal.
Iraq's education quality has significantly declined since the 1990s as a result of wars and sanctions. Corruption also is a problem: Students with low GPAs who are not admitted to state universities and institutes often apply to private universities with lower standards, but admission to both private and government universities can be obtained through bribes.
Furat Jamal, a University of Baghdad teacher, told Al-Monitor, “Students with low GPAs apply to private universities, where they get accepted. The chaos plaguing the private education sector is caused by powerful politicians who establish [departments] to bolster their [visibility and] political activities, with no regard for the country’s reputation and academic standards.”
He added, "Some private universities were established as Islamic universities specialized in Islamic Sharia and teachings but soon opened academic departments, which is against the law. Education in Iraq has been going downhill because of the lack of supervision by the authorities and lack of good decisions in favor of the educational institutions.”
Parliament's Education Committee believes private colleges contribute to Iraq's increasing unemployment rate.
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