Iraq News
Education

Iraq resumes literacy efforts in liberated cities

By Khalid al-Taie

Iraqi women and men receive basic education at a literacy centre in the Jihad neighbourhood of Baghdad, in a photograph posted on social media August 18th, 2017. [Photo from the Iraqi Ministry of Education Facebook page]

Iraqi women and men receive basic education at a literacy centre in the Jihad neighbourhood of Baghdad, in a photograph posted on social media August 18th, 2017. [Photo from the Iraqi Ministry of Education Facebook page]

The Iraqi government is seeking to reduce illiteracy rates in areas liberated from the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), officials told Diyaruna.

To this end, the Ministry of Education reopened literacy centres in all liberated areas in early October, in conjunction with the start of the new school year.

The resumption of work in these centres is one of the ministry's priorities, ministry spokeswoman Salama al-Hassan told Diyaruna.

ISIS allowed ignorance to flourish among the population, she said, and illiteracy found fertile ground with the group's destruction of schools, universities, libraries and other educational buildings.

ISIS also changed the curricula and manipulated its content to reflect its own extremist ideology, al-Hassan said.

"This brutal group does not want to live in social environments of awareness, culture and light," she said.

"Today we want to rebuild the educational system and close the educational gap left by the terrorists," she said. "We started to reopen the literacy centres, rehabilitate the damaged schools, and provide all educational materials for students and all those who want to learn."

Many children did not attend school during ISIS's rule, she said, adding that the ministry is working to get students back to class and up to grade level.

Literacy centres open in Mosul

Literacy centres in Mosul have opened their doors to all citizens who want to learn reading and writing skills.

This step was preceded by the provision of literacy centre staff, books, curricula and essential learning methods, according to Director of Education in Ninawa province Wahid Farid Abdul Qader.

"Our centres are open, and there is no specific cap for admission," he told Diyaruna. "Anyone who finds himself wanting to learn is only required to register and sit on the bench."

"These centres were, before the invasion of Mosul [in 2014], operating very actively and attracting large numbers of people who want to erase their illiteracy," he said.

"Now we want to restore this activity to its former condition and promote the reality of education again in our province after we rid ourselves of the scourge of terrorism," Abdul Qader said.

Abdul Qader said he has asked school administrations in Mosul's residential neighbourhoods to start to receive illiterate citizens and co-ordinate with them regarding attendance hours to meet all their needs during the learning process.

ISIS stifled education, literacy

There are still no official indicators regarding the illiteracy rate in Iraqi cities liberated from the grip of terrorism, but officials say illiteracy rose during the three-year rule of ISIS.

"The influence of terrorists on the education sector has been great, ignorance and illiteracy have spread, and many students have stopped pursuing their education," said Abdul Qader.

"We are trying to restore the situation to what it was and make efforts to push the distractions away, in addition to reforming and developing that vital service sector through effective plans and actions," he said.

Moreover, the Education Directorate intends to open literacy centres in police stations in the province, Abdul Qader said, adding that "there are some police elements who did not have the opportunity to finish their schooling".

This measure "will help them fulfill their security duties well and achieve their dreams by completing their education and obtaining their degrees".

Literacy to counter extremism

Hassan Shabib al-Sabaawi, a member of the Ninawa provincial council, said the council "stands in support of the step to resume efforts to eradicate illiteracy in the province".

"With every move that contributes to raising awareness and knowledge within our communities, we will be close to these efforts and will not be late in supporting them," he told Diyaruna.

Al-Sabaawi proposed that literacy curricula include lectures that urge people to reject extremism and to identify correct religious and social values, stressing the need to employ educational and religious counselors who are specialised in psychology and social skills.

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