Further Support for Education in Iraq
Published: Jul 11, 2023 Reading time: 4 minutes
Years of conflict and instability have weighed on all the people who live in Iraq. As the country moves forward, education is a crucial factor in shaping the country's future and helping to drive development.
Despite its importance, the education sector in Iraq has not recovered, and is in need of all the help that it can get as the impacts of conflict are still negatively affecting schools, teachers, and students - especially the most vulnerable, such as refugees, IDPs, and host-community children.
To address these needs, and upon recognizing the challenges faced by students in Iraq, People in Need launched a new education project that aims to address these challenges by offering a holistic approach that goes beyond traditional classroom learning.
Co-funded by the Czech Republic’s Foreign Development Cooperation (CZDA) and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) the project will provide a comprehensive range of activities including remedial classes, school greening, climate change awareness, student's club activities, Kurdish language courses, psychological-social support, and training for teachers and Department of Education with the goal of helping vulnerable students and the education sector in the north of Iraq to get back on its feet again.
The key components of the project include:
Remedial Classes: the project will provide specialized remedial classes to help students bridge any educational gaps and improve their academic performance. Highly qualified and experienced teachers will offer personalized instruction to ensure each student receives the support they need to succeed.
School Greening and Climate Change Awareness and Climate Gamification: People in Need will plant trees, and provide irrigation systems to the schools to assure it has a green garden which will provide a shading garden for the students, help them to understand the importance of trees, with the link of climate change awareness to raise the importance of the issue for younger generations and show them the measure that can be taken to help fighting climate change and adapt with it.
Student's Club Activities: The project will offer a wide range of extracurricular activities and clubs, providing students with opportunities to explore their interests, develop essential skills, and foster a sense of camaraderie. These activities will promote teamwork, leadership, and personal growth among the participating students.
Training: Teachers are the base of the education system therefore in the project we will provide them with Professional Development Training (Teachers in Crisis Context), train teachers on inclusive, child-centered, gender-sensitive, disability-inclusive teaching, psychological-social support, alongside training DoE officials in gender-sensitivities and disability-inclusive pedagogies
Provide Teaching and Learning Materials: The project will provide teachers with teaching and learning materials in the formal schools (recreational kits + PSS - behavioral change material production) The ultimate aim of those materials is to allow children to recover from trauma and to help them to be more connected with their school activities, and provide learning materials for children attending formal and non-formal education activities with student kits. which encourages attendance and engagement in curriculum activities.
Kurdish Language: The project will offer language courses to enhance students' linguistic abilities. These courses will provide practical skills in Kurdish languages, enabling students to broaden their horizons and pursue future opportunities. Also, the courses will help the students to boost their integration into the host community environment and the formal school.
Back to school campaign: through the Back to Learning to School campaign among the community about the importance of education, through which we can identify OOSC, enroll them in NFE activities, and refer them to DoE. Furthermore, the campaign will also address the various barriers preventing children from accessing education, such as poverty, gender discrimination, and a lack of infrastructure. We hope to create a more inclusive and equitable education system for all children by raising awareness and providing support.
“The generosity of CZDA and ECW allows us to invest in Iraq’s future and prevent a lost generation. It’s imperative we continue equipping teachers and youth with the life skills needed to not only survive but to thrive.” Timothy Kennett, PIN’s Iraq Country Director.
People in Need will be able to support the refugees, IDPs, and host community students thanks to the generous co-funding from the Czech Republic’s Foreign Development Cooperation (CZDA) and Education Cannot Wait (ECW).
For more information, please contact:
In the Czech Republic: Tomáš Kocian, People in Need’s Regional Director for the Middle East
☎ +420 777 787 970, ✉ tomas.kocian@peopleinneed.net
In the Middle East: Timothy Kennett, People in Need’s Country Director for Iraq
☎ +964 (0) 772-978-9831, ✉ timothy.kennett@peopleinneed.net
