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Sawahel</a></b>  <span style="white-space: nowrap">07 November 2024</span></div> <div style="height:39px"><script src="https://platform.linkedin.com/in.js" type="text/javascript">lang: en_US</script> <div style="float:left;margin-right:8px"><script type="IN/Share" data-url="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20241107133337878"></script></div><div style="float:left;margin-right:8px"><a href="https://twitter.com/share?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" class="twitter-share-button" data-show-count="true">Tweet</a><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/share_button.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityworldnews.com%2Fpost.php%3Fstory%3D20241107133337878&layout=button_count&size=small&mobile_iframe=true&width=106&height=28&appId" width="106" height="28" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div> Iraq’s higher education system suffers from insufficient infrastructure, inadequate equipment for engineering and science education, underfunding, relatively low enrolment rates and poor links between academia and job markets, but the “biggest disaster” is rampant corruption, according to a report by a researcher and business consultant published on online media.<br /> <br /> The lengthy <a href="https://raseef22.net/article/1098674-%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82" target="_new">report, authored by</a> researcher and business consultant Mahasen Ajam, and published by independent media platform <I>Raseef22</I> in October headlined “How has corruption contributed to the dangerous decline of higher education in Iraq”, follows several past reports <a href="https://al-aalem.com/en/controversy-surrounds-the-certificate-of-the-director-of-education-in-al-karkh-the-first-activists-call-for-ministers-dismissal" target="_new">concerning credentials fraud</a> in Iraq and the <a href="https://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=706070" target="_new">decline in quality of higher education delivery</a> in the country, particularly in the private sector.<br /> <br /> International higher education adviser Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai, an emeritus professor and Conway Fellow at the University College Dublin and chair of the Network of Iraqi Scientists Abroad (NISA), told <I>University World News</I> the <I>Raseef22</I> report “underscores the severe decline of higher education in Iraq due to rampant corruption, political interference and underfunding”.<br /> <br /> He described it as a “crisis” that threatened Iraq's future by producing unqualified graduates and hindered innovation.<br /> <br /> <b>Higher education expansion</b><br /> <br /> There are currently more than 100 universities in Iraq, distributed across 18 governorates, 40 of which are public universities and 66 recognised private universities. Almost half (48%) of these institutions are in Baghdad and 10% in Karbala (mostly religious).<br /> <br /> In large governorates such as Nineveh, Anbar and Salah al-Din, the percentage of universities is only 1%, according to the <a href="https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/iraq_national_development_plan_2018-2022_summary_arabic.pdf" target="_new">National Development Plan 2018-2022</a>.<br /> <br /> These public and private universities offer undergraduate and graduate programmes to approximately 900,000 students annually, and graduate approximately 180,000 students each year.<br /> <br /> While higher education has expanded significantly in recent years, with a 25% increase in enrolment at public universities, the enrolment rate of university-age Iraqis is only about 19%, which is low compared to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. For example, the rate is 32% in Tunisia, 34% in Jordan, and 39% in Morocco.<br /> <br /> The <I>Raseef22</I> report indicates that Iraqi universities suffer from inadequate infrastructure and facilities such as laboratories and libraries, insufficient equipment in engineering and science colleges and technical institutes, and there are weak links between higher education, graduates and the labour market.<br /> <br /> It notes that neither public nor private universities and institutes in Iraq feature in the list of top 100 universities in international university rankings including the QS World University Rankings, the Shanghai Ranking for 2021, Times Higher Education, World University Rankings and Webometrics ranking, according to the report.<br /> <br /> This is despite a complaint from the general student union in Iraq in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/263281957118611/posts/7931940413586022/" target="_new">statement</a> on 29 August this year which accused the government of using "the method of misleading media statements regarding the universities achieving advanced positions in international university rankings".<br /> <br /> It also said the ministry was claiming to “open new scientific departments at the beginning of next year without providing the necessary infrastructure, scientific curricula, and teaching staff”.<br /> <br /> According to the <I>Raseef22</I> report, the budget allocated to education in Iraq is approximately US$7 billion. However, more than 70% of this total goes to primary and secondary education, not higher education.<br /> <br /> The budget of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) constitutes only 1-2% of the national budget.<br /> <br /> The report says that most of this budget goes towards salaries of the MHESR ministry's employees, including teachers and administrators, without any additional investment in education.<br /> <br /> “With these meagre resources, the sector will not be able to improve its infrastructure, update its facilities, develop its curricula, and all the investments that this requires,” the report notes.<br /> <br /> <I>University World News</I> contacted the MHESR for its response to the report but received no response.<br /> <br /> <b>Corruption</b><br /> <br /> At the heart of many of the problems is corruption, the report states. It claims that corruption mechanisms appear in higher education at all levels and range from common nepotism to bribery aimed at securing positions within educational institutions or to influence decisions regarding admissions, promotions, and securing supplies and services.<br /> <br /> It also notes cases where the altering or leaking of exam questions and allowing students to cheat has been facilitated in exchange for money.<br /> <br /> “There are also cases of ‘ghost workers’ in the higher education sector, where individuals receive salaries without actually working due to fraudulent practices in salary administration,” the report claims.<br /> <br /> The report also highlights the sale of “ready-made research” from dedicated offices whose activities are “supported by some supervisors who encourage their students to use these intermediaries”.<br /> <br /> It says coercive tactics by the ministry to secure high student success rates which sees the ministry threatening to investigate lecturers “if they do not follow instructions” are partly to blame for this approach.<br /> <br /> In addition, the report says government interference in faculty appointments has led to decline in academic freedom and high turnover of senior academic staff.<br /> <br /> “Recently, political parties have taken the decision to change university and department deans in favour of those implementing their political agendas,” the report states.<br /> <br /> In 2019, an <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/%22%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%22-%D9%8A%D8%B2%D8%AC-2000-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%87-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9" target="_new">Arabic news outlet <I>Al Araby</I></a> reported that the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – the umbrella group of Iraqi militias linked to pro-Iranian parties – announced that 2,000 of its members would be able to enrol in public universities regardless of their educational level.<br /> <br /> <b>Politically-controlled private universities</b><br /> <br /> The report notes that the proliferation of private institutions in Iraq, which has happened without the requisite controls, has allowed anyone with sufficient financial resources to obtain a qualification.<br /> <br /> After 2003, Iraq witnessed a significant increase in the number of private universities by more than 500%. In 2022, the private education sector accounted for about 20% of the total number of graduates, distributed between 107,854 students in public universities and 27,368 in private universities, according to the report.<br /> <br /> The report suggests that private higher education is increasingly under the influence of political parties and partisan groups.<br /> <br /> Earlier this year, <I>Al Araby</I> <a href="https://www.alaraby.co.uk/society/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%8A%D9%8F%D9%88%D9%82%D9%81-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A8-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%87%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9#:~:text=%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%AA%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9%20%D8%8C%20%D8%A5%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AB%20%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A9,%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7%20%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AA%20%D8%A3%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%8B%20%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%B9%20%D8%AD%D8%AF%20%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%83%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA" target="_new">reported</a> that the Iraqi government decided to halt the establishment of new medical group colleges in private universities in the country, after it became clear they were graduating large batches of students who were not qualified to practice as medical professionals and posed a danger to the lives of citizens.<br /> <br /> “Corruption in education hinders any progress in Iraqi society, as its economy will not flourish except through the quality of its education, and competencies cannot be built, skills cannot be refined and sustainable development cannot be achieved without it,” the report concludes.<br /> <br /> <b>An ‘impossible task’</b><br /> <br /> Al-Rubeai said reforming higher education in Iraq would involve the prioritisation of academic integrity through the implementation of strict measures to combat corruption, nepotism and the sale of cheap degrees.<br /> <br /> “Besides strengthening institutional autonomy by protecting universities from political interference and promoting academic freedom, investment in quality education must be done by allocating adequate funding to improve infrastructure, faculty development and research,” he noted.<br /> <br /> On the issue of private universities, he said there was a need to regulate the sector to ensure quality standards and prevent exploitation by corrupt politicians, political parties and militia.<br /> <br /> There was also a need to foster international partnerships by promoting collaboration with recognised foreign higher education institutions to enhance curriculum, research and student exchange, Al-Rubeai said.<br /> <br /> “By taking decisive action and getting rid of the corrupted regime, Iraq can rebuild its higher education system and empower its youth to contribute to the nation's progress. Impossible task!” Al-Rubeai concluded.<br /> <br /> <b>Transparent recruitment</b><br /> <br /> Dr Hayfa Jafar, a former director of institutional effectiveness at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, told <I>University World News</I> the way to achieve genuine reform would be to “address corruption in higher education … which requires strong political will”.<br /> <br /> “A key step is to promote transparency and integrity in recruiting, managing, and promoting university leaders and faculty,” said Jafar, who currently works as the manager of institutional research at Georgian College in Canada.<br /> <br /> “In many developed nations, selecting university leaders and faculty involves a rigorous assessment of their academic history, research, leadership skills, and vision for leading large public institutions.<br /> <br /> “Iraq should establish an independent, apolitical governance system to ensure that qualified, capable individuals are chosen. Faculty, who directly influence students, are essential to any educational system's success,” she said.<br /> <br /> Jafar said staff recruitment should be “free of political or tribal affiliation”, and once appointed, staff should be protected from such interference.<br /> <br /> “Additionally, Iraq should implement strict legal oversight to prevent credential fraud from both domestic and international sources,” Jafar noted. </div><br><script src="https://www.universityworldnews.com/subscribe2.js"></script> <div style="background:#ffe57d;padding:8px" id="subform"> <span style="font-family:arial"><b>Receive email updates from UWN</b></span> <br> <input type="text" name="email" id="email" value="" style="width:65%;font-size:16px" placeholder="enter your email address">   <input type="submit" style="background:#000;color:#fff;padding:4px;font-size:20px; border:1px solid #000;font-weight:normal;border-radius:8px;font-family:arial" name="action" id="signupbutton" value="Sign Up" 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