From educational pinnacle to illiteracy crisis: Iraq’s road to recovery

Shafaq News/ Ruqaya Ali, a 37-year-old mother of three from Iraq’s Babil governorate, has defied age and social circumstances to pursue her education. Once illiterate, Ruqaya now serves as an inspiring figure for women facing similar challenges.

Raised in difficult economic conditions, Ruqaya was unable to attend school as a child because her financially struggling father could not enroll her in formal education. However, the dream of learning remained alive for Ruqaya, even after marriage and motherhood.

"When my children started primary school, I struggled to help them with their homework," Ruqaya told Shafaq News. "That challenge pushed me to pursue my dream of learning. I turned to YouTube for educational videos on reading and writing, and a nearby teacher also lent a hand."

Determined to succeed, Ruqaya passed the sixth-grade external exam and continued her journey through middle and high school, relying on private tutors. "Many women I met during the exams were in the same situation, and like me, they used the internet to learn. My ambitions don’t end here—I’m now aiming to enroll in college and earn a bachelor's degree," she said.

Once a beacon of education in the 1970s, Iraq now faces a significant illiteracy challenge due to corruption, conflict, and economic issues that have strained its educational system, leaving millions without basic literacy. With a renewed focus on education, the country is striving to restore its former strengths and create new opportunities for its people.

Iraq Illiteracy Rates: 12.7% Nationally

The world marks International Literacy Day on September 8 each year, a day first declared by UNESCO during its 14th session at the October 1966 conference, to remind the global community of the critical role literacy plays in the development of individuals and societies.

According to UNESCO’s official website, literacy is considered a fundamental necessity, comparable to water and air, and is emphasized as the cornerstone for acquiring essential knowledge and skills vital for human development.

Despite the crucial role literacy plays in individual and societal development, millions worldwide still lack basic reading and writing skills, according to recent studies.

UNESCO data from 2022 showed that at least one in seven people aged 15 and older, approximately 754 million globally, remain without basic literacy skills. Millions of children also face challenges mastering fundamental reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, while nearly 250 million children aged 6 to 18 are out of school.

An estimated 771 million people worldwide, mostly women and young people, still lack basic literacy abilities, creating a significant barrier to personal and societal progress and hindering global efforts to meet sustainable development goals.

In Iraq, illiteracy remains a persistent issue, with millions affected. Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Planning, noted that while there are no updated statistics, ongoing socio-economic surveys will soon provide fresh insights into illiteracy rates and other related factors. "Previous indicators suggest that the illiteracy rate stands at around 12.7% for those aged 15 and above across Iraq, with a higher rate among females (21%) compared to males (12%)," Al-Hindawi told Shafaq News.

He added that the current rate marks an improvement from a decade ago when illiteracy reached 20%. “This decline is attributed to government initiatives over the past few years, which have nearly eradicated illiteracy in state institutions. Additionally, literacy centers have been established by the Ministry of Education to teach older adults.” With ongoing efforts, Al-Hindawi expected Iraq’s illiteracy rate to decrease to its lowest levels in the next decade.

In 2022, the Ministry spokesman highlighted the disparity in illiteracy rates between rural and urban areas in Iraq. "Illiteracy in rural areas is 18.5%, while in cities it is significantly lower at 8%, with the literacy survey in Iraq covering individuals aged 10 and older and excluding younger children still in primary school."

Moreover, Al-Hindawi reported, "Primary school enrollment in Iraq is at 94%, but this rate drops to 60% for intermediate education, with the country's population estimated to be over 40 million."

In comparison to other Arab nations, female illiteracy rates are around 50% for those aged 15 and older. Iraq, along with Yemen, Mauritania, and the Comoros Islands, is noted for its high illiteracy rates.

“For males, the country has the highest illiteracy rate in the age group over 15, at 40.2%. Overall, Iraq leads the Arab world with a general illiteracy rate of 49.9% for individuals aged 15 and older,” he confirmed.

Unraveling Iraq’s Illiteracy Crisis

The increase in illiteracy in Iraq over the past three decades is attributed to a range of factors. Prominent among these is corruption in the education sector over the past twenty years, compounded by economic difficulties, wars, and economic siege since the 1980s.

The failure to enforce the Compulsory Education Law and ongoing security instability since 2003, including the impact of the ISIS conflict (2014-2017) which led to significant displacement, have also played crucial roles. The situation was further exacerbated by curfews and the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted education.

Additionally, high poverty and unemployment rates have severely affected the education system, leaving lots of Iraqi children without access to schooling.

In this context, a UNESCO report titled Literacy for Women, Iraq, indicated “Over many decades, Iraq has gone through several crises including war, economic sanctions, military dictatorship, insecurity, political instability and terrorist attacks. Those factors have severely undermined the Iraqi educational system and affected the total percentage of literacy in the country. Twenty five years ago, Iraq was widely regarded as the most developed country of the Middle East, but its recent adversities have dropped development indicators to the bottom.”

Iraq’s Literacy: Milestones, Future Goals

According to UNESCO, Iraq was once a global leader in education quality and literacy during the 1970s.

In response to ongoing illiteracy challenges, the Iraqi Parliament enacted Literacy Law No. 23 in 2011. This legislation established a High Commission for Literacy and created an executive body within the Ministry of Education to oversee the implementation of the law through literacy schools for individuals aged 15 and older.

The executive body for literacy reported that over 2.25 million people have benefited from its programs since the initial literacy campaign began on November 16, 2012, when the Ministry of Education opened 6,000 literacy centers, enrolling more than 500,000 students nationwide in the first phase alone.

Mouayed Al-Abidi, spokesperson for the executive body, noted, "We celebrated International Literacy Day by graduating 12 cohorts since the program’s inception, and the 13th cohort will begin with the new academic year."

Furthermore, he confirmed that these educational programs continue, with additional plans involving multiple ministries to support education efforts. “A program in collaboration with correctional facilities is also underway.”

“Literacy initiatives target individuals aged 12 to 18, as well as older age groups, with ongoing efforts to engage all illiterates, particularly young people who have left school, aiming to reintegrate dropouts into educational settings.”

Advancements Vs. Persistent Failures

Iraq’s education system has undergone significant changes since 2003, moving away from the high illiteracy rates of the 1990s when economic hardship took its toll on the country, said education expert Haider Al-Mousawi. “Illiteracy had surged to over 35% in the mid-1990s due to economic decline and other pressures, but improvements in living standards after 2003 have seen a shift towards education.”

“Since then, we’ve witnessed more focus on schooling, a reduction in dropout rates, and a rise in higher education degrees,” Al-Mousawi told Shafaq News. “Bachelor’s degrees are now widespread, and there is a notable increase in students taking external exams and attending evening university programs, which are almost as popular as daytime classes. These indicators suggest a decline in illiteracy, supported by government and education ministry efforts to re-enroll dropouts.”

Al-Mousawi also highlighted the government’s emphasis on education as a requirement for job opportunities, saying this has encouraged both men and women to pursue learning. “The rise of social media and digital tools has provided further motivation to continue education and engage with the broader world.”

However, former Parliamentary Education Committee member Raed Al-Maksousi offered a more critical assessment. “The state of education in Iraq remains dire,” he said, noting that successive governments have neglected the sector. “There’s a clear decline in educational quality, with a shortage of adequate school buildings that meet students' needs.”

Al-Maksousi further criticized the quality of teaching staff, telling Shafaq News, "Some educators need literacy training themselves, unable to write a simple sentence without errors, and many have not received proper pedagogical training." He stressed the need for better school infrastructure, teacher training, and adequate supplies to improve the system.