"Life isn't always a bowl of cherries" is what every body says! It seems that nobody has the guts to disagree with this saying and make a different in this world. In the 21th century, the majority of students in our region are not happy with their department of study, and their knowledge is at the lowest level. This is the biggest problem of education and for students' creativity because it makes the students' ability for creation to be in the lowest stages, and makes the students study without ambition.
There are some reasons behind this huge dilemma: First, is that our country is underdeveloped, which made our system of education suffer with luck of experience and experts, and this causes any attepts of changing our system to go so slowly. Studies and themes that are no longer relevent, and the system of education is entirely based on traditional methods.
In Iraq, Saddam Hussein's regime maintained authoritaritarian control over much of society, including the educational system. The education system still remains unchanged. The only changes which happened in our system is just drop out Saddam Hussein's pictures and speechs in books, but leaving with the same ideas.
This system of education continues to encourge students in military matters and about strugles against enimies of the Arabs. Many of examples and reading passages dealt only with deserts, bedouin culture, and arab customs. But Arabs are not the only peoples in either Iraq or the middle East. In the Kurdistan region, we have to argumented the program to both cover human rights and democracy tarining, as well as provide explanaitions more relevant to the pupils' culture and environment.
The second resion is related to security which is always at risk, and this makes our country's infrastructure to be so damaged especially institution of higher education, and foreign experts would not dare to help us with rebuilding it. This is the basic reason behind it which makes the majority of our people study a subject that would help them to make alot of money without carring about their skills. For example, pharmacy is what every body thinks about, but art is raerly wanted.
The fourth reason is our rebellion in 1991. This rebellion changed our society from an illiterate society to another that cares about education and learning. This made our schools and universities full of students. For instance, according to 2007 survey published by the KRG, more that 1,100,000 students are now studying in schools. This is a large number in our small region, and another resercher shows that above 75% of our region's budget goes into civil-servants' salaries. This makes our government pressure universities to accept as many students as the government might need.
In our primaries, secondaries, and high schools we initialy had to have two, three, or four shifts of students in each school, since we simply did not have enough classrooms. Most of the times, there are as many as 60 pupils in a class!
The fifth reason related to our thought which make students avoid studying some subjests. For example, it is so shameful to study veternery in our society.
The sixth reason is power. It is an important component in Iraq-0Kurdistan's higher education system. the universities like most public and private institutions in the region are run by the two main parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic party. These parties have made it clear that they don't want to universities be challenged. For example, many lectures have been punished for speaking against the political system in Kurdistan. They also have all power in universities. They can choose their members to study in universities by receiving"special acceptance," meaning they relied on a powerful personal connectio-usually through one of the main parties.
The seventh reason is a result from some of the terrible decisions by the Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan. According to the Ministry of higher Education in the Kurdistan,” It is not allowed for any students to apply for the universities in Kurdistan that their scores from the high school are less than 70%.” In my opinion, it is one of the biggest sins that the government committed against the students because it is clear that thousands of the students will lose their future because of it. Also, I completely disagree with this decision because it’s cause to luck of knowledge in our region. If a student is be one who complete in body, mind… etc. So, why he do not have a right to study? This is make clear for us that those who get high marks are clever; otherwise, they are lazy, but I don’t think so because some students might be very clever, but they might get low marks because of some problems in their life. In spite the fact that, they have these many problems, the government just care about their scores without searching or discussing the students’ problems. The government’s purpose behind this decision is to encourage the students to study hard, but I also disagree because I don’t think they will provide this rule for the sake of improving the process of education, they provided this rule because there are not enough places in the our universities for the students. According to the Minister of the higher Education in Kurdistan, “Our universities cannot accept these large numbers of the students, so we obliged to provide this rule to solve this problem.” Therefore, we can easily figure out that the government holds a very wrong way to solve the students’ problems. So, the government must try to increase the number of the universities to solve this problem instead of thinking about some rules that hurt the students and make them to lose their future.
The eighth reason is refers to the rule to accept the students in the colleges, it means choosing the colleges to study is not up to the students’ minds. They will accept from the colleges by comparing their scores. So, most of the times, they will accept from the college that completely unwanted by them, and there isn’t any connection between the college that accept them and their skills. I disagree with this rule because it will luck the process of education from being improvement, if a student accepted from the college that is not desirable by him, he will not be succeed with it, and he will leave it because he might not be passed. Even if he finished it, he cannot be a succeed person with his position because he might not be a one who has more experiences with his job. For example, when I finished high school last year, I accepted from the college of physic at the Salahadden’s University. That college was completely different with my hobby. So, I’m sure that I will not finish it, and I will quit study if AUIS wouldn’t accept me because I don’t have any desire with physic. Believe it or not, 90% percent of our students have the same problem, they are not happy with their departments. So, the government should think about solving this problem more deeply. It has to give the students a right to choose any departments that they will happy and enjoy with it to help the students improve their skills and the process of education in our region.
But inspite these problems, Iraq-Kurdistan government has long promised reform and improvements in higher education and to create a bright future for its youth. But so far, it has been only talk. As the potential leaders in higher education in Iraq, it is time that we want to see some action because we are restless and eager to learn new methods. If the government is serious about improving education, it needs to devote resources to providing basic services for students such as electricity, water, dormetory, and modern books. The curricula will also need to be modernized. This will be costly, but entirely necessary.
Another one is our economic increase. They can also be benefited from the arrival of Arab academics who have fled sectarian violence in centural and southern parts of the country, and Kurdish intellectuals who have returned from Europe and elsewhere. They should also bring excellent new universities like The American university of Iraq-Sulaimani. Byond resources, the system needs an overhaul. Equality and democracy need to be practiced, not preached.
In spite the fact that our economic is being really increase right now, but poverty is one of the biggest obstacle in front of the students to be continue with their study. There is not an enough financial aid for the students by the government. So, many students are obliging to quit their studying because their families cannot help them, and they leave their schools and universities to work for their families. Also, many students are working during their study, so it makes them suffer many problems with their study, and finally they oblige to quit studying. Therefore, the government should think about this problem and tries the best to realize the students and their families from this problem.
In brief, the system education in Kurdistan could prove to be shining example to universities in the rest of the country, if significant are made to the way it is administrated because over the next decades, Iraq will continue to face many challenges that will require open-minded citizens who can think critically, in order to lead the country. the disillusioned younger generation needs to acquire the skills and knowledge that are currently not offered in Iraqi's kurdistan less these problems-which are crippling education in Kurdistan-could jeoparadize the future of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq. So, we are waiting for our government to cover the whole region in cherries!
