Ten-year higher education strategy launched

By Wagdy Sawahel. Iraq has launched its first-ever national education strategy, for the period 2012-22, aimed at helping to improve education quality for the country's 33 million citizens, especially the most deprived youth.
Launched on 9 December, the strategy plans to enhance social reintegration and cohesion and to prevent social exclusion within Iraqi society. It also emphasises the importance of quality curriculum, institutions and resources in higher education, according to a report from the United Nations News Centre.
The strategy was developed by a committee of education experts and advisors within the ministries of education and higher education in Baghdad and Erbil, with international technical expertise and guidance provided by UN agencies and the World Bank
Among the elements of the strategy are providing free and accessible education to children and youth from pre-school to higher education, as well as ensuring high quality education based on global best practices.
Key educational targets include increasing Iraq's pre-school enrolment rate from 7% to 22% by 2020, and the primary school enrolment rate from 93% to 98% by the end of 2015. More...