© UNICEF Iraq/2008/Arar
A girl walks through the rubble of her destroyed classroom at the Baghdad Primary School in Sadr City.

NEW YORK, USA, 15 September 2008 – The ongoing conflict in Iraq continues to have a devastating impact on children and schools there. Insecurity and violence have forced teachers to flee, kept students at home and, in some cases, closed schools completely.

An education system that was once one of the best in the region is now struggling to provide basic services and keep students safe. Many young people have watched fellow classmates either leave the country or simply stop coming to school.

“We were 35 students and now we are seven – two girls and five boys,” says Zuhal Sultan, who studies music in Baghdad. “And we don’t have enough teachers to cover every subject.”

UNICEF’s Chief of Education at the support center for Iraq in Jordan, Mette Norstrand, agrees that finding teachers is challenging but says that more support systems are being put in place to encourage them back to the classroom.

“Now the Ministry of Education is taking this quite seriously,” she notes, “and we are holding training courses for master trainers and teachers so they can be better equipped to deal with problems inside the classroom.”

‘A huge achievement’

Teachers and students inside Iraq, who are managing to keep some semblance of a normal school life, often face overwhelming and life-threatening obstacles.

“Daily life is so difficult, so constrained by fear of assassination, kidnapping, bombing, that to continue to do something as simple as go to school and study music is heroic,” says journalist George Packer. “It’s a huge achievement.”

With continued insecurity and a lack of teachers, how are Iraqi youths continuing their studies? How is the international community helping to support and transform the education system? What are the particular obstacles that female students face?

About the Podcast

Listen to a UNICEF Radio podcast discussion on education in Iraq, featuring these guests:

George Packer, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of ‘The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq’; Zuhal Sultan, a 17-year-old student at the Music and Ballet School of Baghdad, and pianist with the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra; and Mette Norstrand, Chief of Education, UNICEF Support Center for Iraq.

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Listen to Podcast 9 – Education Under Pressure in Iraq (RealAudio)

Click here to listen to other podcast in the “BEYOND SCHOOL BOOKS” series.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2004-0269/Christine Nesbitt
A man teacher addresses a class of girls, in a temporary classroom in the Kassab IDP camp near the town of Kutum, 116 km from capital of North Darfur.

NEW YORK, USA, 16 November 2007 – Providing education to children in regions and societies affected by conflict – or emerging from it – is a major challenge.

Yet communities in conflict-affected areas consistently rank education as a high priority. And they demonstrate astounding resourcefulness and resilience in seeking out and providing schooling for their children.

Educating children in conflict zones

In Iraq, as in many other conflict zones, schools may be targets of violence and must operate in increasingly tense security situations.

UNICEF Colombia Representative Paul Martin and UNICEF Iraq Deputy Representative Geeta Verma with podcast moderator Amy Costello at a discussion on education in conflict-affected countries.

“Examinations that took place recently saw, for the first time, a decline in the number of children who sat for the exam and, further, those who were able to pass,” said Geeta Verma, speaking of Iraq last week during a discussion about the role of education in countries affected by conflict or natural disaster. “The learning levels are going down rapidly, which means that the quality of education is in rapid decline,” she added.

“In Southern Sudan, you find that … the adult literacy rates are very low, the lowest in the world,” said Sibeso Luswata, noting the challenges of working in an area that recently emerged from conflict.

Paul Martin cited the difficulty of providing education to vulnerable and excluded children in middle-income countries such as Colombia – especially in remote areas. The problem is “particularly acute in Colombia because of the situation of violence, which is affecting large areas but not all of the country at once,” he said. “A lot of the problems in those isolated areas are quite similar to the things that have been described in Sudan and in Iraq.”

A tool for social transformation

Ms. Verma, Ms. Luswata and Mr. Martin made their comments in the third segment of ‘Beyond School Books’, a series of discussions that are distributed online and through UNICEF Radio podcasts.

UNICEF has launched the series – hosted by Amy Costello, a former correspondent for Public Radio International – to help advance the discussion on the role of education in countries affected by conflict or natural disaster, or emerging from crisis.

About this Podcast

Voices from the Field. A discussion about educating children in some of the world’s most challenging contexts, featuring these guests:
Sibeso Luswata, UNICEF Southern Sudan Chief of Education; Paul Martin, UNICEF Representative in Colombia; and Geeta Verma, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Iraq.

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Education Under Attack – Podcast 3

Click here to listen to other podcast in the “BEYOND SCHOOL BOOKS” series.

Iraqi children flood Damascus schools putting pressure on education system
© UNICEF Video

25 September 2008 – Iraqi children flood Damascus schools putting pressure on education system

Iraqi children head to schools in Damascus at the beginning of the new school year. Their families fled the conflict in Iraq, and schools in Syria are now overcrowded

Production date: September 9th, 2008

Duration: 2:51

Keywords: UNICEF, children, Iraq, Syria, education, war

Main shooting locations: Damascus, Syria

Main sequences:

It is the beginning of the new school year in Syria. But most of the children in schools are not Syrians but Iraqis. Iraqis whose families have fled from the war.

More than 50 000 Iraqi youngsters are studying in Syrian schools and the education system is under pressure. This school on the edge of Damascus has doubled in size. The numbers in one class has reached 50 to 55. And the ministry of education is expecting new enrolments to rise again this year.

Read the shotlist and script (PDF format) in: English

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UNICEF: Accommodating Iraqi students in Syrian schools (RealMedia)

© UNICEF/MENA02131/Pirozzi
A man teacher helps students, sitting three to a desk in a school is in the village of Al-Zuraiji. Like many in the area, it was damaged during the war.

By Claire Hajaj

AMMAN, Jordan, 23 May 2008 – The Baghdad Girls Primary in Iraq’s Sadr City had only been occupied by students for a few months before violent clashes erupted between military forces and militia groups in the area.

When the smoke cleared, the school was virtually destroyed – damaged by intense mortar and rocket fire. The school’s headmistresses, Zainab Kadhum, and her staff had worked to ensure that all the girls got home safely, but they could not save what had only recently been a brand new space for Iraqi girls to receive a quality education amidst the insecurity plaguing their country.

“The school has been reduced to rubble,” Ms. Kadhum says. “The girls still come to do their final exams, but we try to finish as early as possible so that the children do not spend a long time in this collapsing building. Any nearby bombing or tremor might cause the school to fall on the heads of the children.”

More than 29 of Sadr City’s schools were damaged in the violence. When schools reopened, teachers returned to shattered windows, fractured desks and chairs, broken toilets and nervous, distressed students. Many parents chose to keep their children at home even after the declaration of a ceasefire in the area.

Living in fear

“War for us means fear and uncertainty,” says 15-year-old Mohammed, who lives with his family in the heart of Sadr City. “It means houses destroyed, people killed and maimed, air-raids, bombings and blackouts. When there is fighting, we cannot leave the house or move around in our own streets.”

Sadr City, a densely populated square mile and one of the poorest parts of Baghdad, has witnessed some of Iraq’s worst clashes since the 2003 war. A government-led effort to drive out militia groups sparked house-to-house fighting in many neighbourhoods. The conflict isolated communities, uprooted families and caused shortages of water, medicines and food.

“This fighting has had a big effect on us,” Mohammed says. “There has been no water, no electricity. Bombs are planted along the main road so even private cars cannot go out. Now when the rockets and mortars start to fall my father sends us into one room in our house where we all hide until we think it is safe.”

Sometimes, even these family precautions are not enough. One rocket fell right next to Mohammed’s house. It smashed the windows and the family car, and injured Mohammed’s father.

Rebuilding children’s confidence

UNICEF teams present on the ground have worked with local officials to deliver safe drinking water every day to over 13,000 families through UNICEF water tankers. Water and critical medical supplies have been delivered to city hospitals, helping beleaguered doctors and nurses treat large numbers of injuries.

As access eases, UNICEF is also starting to restore to Sadr City’s schools, many of which were in poor condition even before the conflict – without running water, electricity or proper sanitation.

“Restoring a school takes more than bricks and mortar,” says UNICEF’s Chief of Education in Iraq, Mette Nordstrand. “We need to rebuild children’s confidence in the value of education in such an unstable environment. When we bring relief to a school, it sends a message to children that learning is important to their future and that school can be a good place to be.”

UNICEF will provide new school supplies and rapid repairs for damaged buildings. But undoing the psychological impact of violence on children will be the greatest challenge.

“Our school is in a bad state now, but I hope it will get better” says Mohammed. “I am sure that other children feel sad when they hear what happens to us. No one wants children to face hardships and live in crisis.”

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Rebuilding Schools in Iraq’s Sadr City

© UNICEF/NYHQ2003-0014/Shehzad Noorani
One girl stands up to read while others, seated at shared desks, follow along in their textbooks

By Claire Hajaj

AMMAN, Jordan, 21 April 2008 – In recent weeks, families in Basra and Baghdad’s Sadr City have been plunged into one of the most violent episodes in Iraq’s recent history. As Iraq’s security forces mobilized against militia groups, widespread clashes and curfews kept families trapped indoors and led to shortages of water, food and medical supplies.

While life is slowly returning to normal in Basra, fighting is ongoing in Sadr City. Life for children there has become harder and more frightening. Addressing shortages of water and medical supplies in Sadr City are immediate humanitarian priorities.

Clashes between militias and military forces have shut down many parts of the city for days on end, affecting thousands. Some curfews have lifted, but fear of roadside bombs is still keeping many families at home.

Schools should be a haven

Education is also under threat. Most of the city’s primary and secondary schools are closed. More than 20 schools have been reported damaged in the violence, with unconfirmed numbers of students and teachers killed.

UNICEF is calling for schools to be protected as a priority.

For weeks, Basra’s residents were unable to leave their homes to get water or attend school.
According to reports from people on the ground, some empty schools are hosting families who have been displaced. Still others may be in use by military forces.

“Schools are a haven for children in times of conflict,” said UNICEF Iraq Chief of Education Mette Nordstrand. “They are protected under international law as zones of peace. No matter what the circumstances, the only proper use for an Iraqi school is to educate and protect Iraqi children.”

Delivering water and supplies

Alongside its humanitarian partners, UNICEF has been assisting children in Basra and Sadr City since the crisis began. A UNICEF-supported water-tankering operation for districts in Basra reached families despite an ongoing curfew, providing the first fresh water many had seen in days.

UNICEF has since delivered health supplies for 12,000 people to Basra’s hospitals and is beginning to assist schools, which only reopened a few days ago.

In Sadr City, UNICEF’s tankering operations have delivered 2.1 million litres of water to deprived families living on the city’s outskirts and reached hospitals inside the city itself. Some 12,000 families have received water-purification tablets to treat their household water supply, while tablets for 4,200 more families in need have been delivered to local health officials.

“We are making the most of the access we have right now and are working hard despite the security problems to bring some relief to families,” said UNICEF Emergency Specialist Luciano Calestini. “However, the psychological impact on children will be far harder to heal. It is absolutely critical that they see an end to this violence and can get back into school as soon as possible.”

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Violence in Iraq disrupts lives and education

Iraqi children return to school
©UNICEF Video

By Claire Hajaj

AMMAN, Jordan, 9 October 2007— The first day back at school for students at Baghdad’s Al-Amal Primary School is a reason to celebrate. Children squeal with excitement as they see old friends. The playground, so bare and empty over the summer holidays, has filled with colour and sound.

Last year was one of the most difficult in recent memory for for students here. Lessons were cut short by violence. Many teachers left. Classrooms and washrooms fell into disrepair and water was cut off. But this year, students and teachers have reason to hope.

Tamarra, 11, a serious-minded sixth grader, knows what it’s like to be hungry for an education. “I love my school,” she says. “But last year we could not always come to class because of the explosions in my area. My mother was afraid for me, so I missed many lessons.”

A desperate struggle to learn

The first day in the classroom is a small miracle for Tamarra and her family, who still remember how hard she struggled to learn during the past year.

Child-friendly classrooms and school materials are a rarity in Iraq.

“Our difficulties were huge,” she says. “Continuous power cuts made it hard for us to do homework or prepare for our exams. There was no light so I could not see to study my books. And the weather was so very hot, without any air conditioning or fan. Many nights I did not sleep and then I was too tired to go to school the next day. It was terrible.”

School facilities were another problem for students – many have deep scars from years of neglect and conflict.

‘Totally unfit for learning’

“Our children had to study in conditions that are totally unfit for learning,” says Al-Amal School Headmistress Hala Hani. “There was no water and little electricity. And we couldn’t maintain a regular teaching schedule for even 10 days at a time, because so many students and teachers were leaving. Everyone was upset and frightened. It was chaotic.”

The toll on learning, not just in Baghdad but across the country, is reflected in last year’s exam results. Iraq’s Ministry of Education reports that only 28 per cent of all Iraqi 17-year-olds took their final exams this summer. And of those that did take the exams, only 40 per cent passed.

The toll that conflict took on education is reflected in the fact that only 28 per cent of all Iraqi 17-year-olds took their final exams this summer.

Restoring classrooms and hope

While conditions facing many Iraqi students are still grave, help arrived over the summer. UNICEF has sponsored a school restoration programme, through a special Integrated Community-Based Initiative for Children, which aims to rebuild Iraq’s essential community services.

Tamarra noticed a difference immediately.

“When I came back to school I saw that we had running water to drink,” she says. “We also have new toilets and new desks. We have balls and sports equipment for the physical education classes, and art supplies and school materials for the students. These things make a big difference to us, and they help our performance and our pride in the school.”

A victory for Iraqi families

“Every child in school is a victory for Iraqi families,” says UNICEF Iraq Chief of Education, Learning and Development Mette Nordstrand. “With so much uncertainly around them, a well-functioning classroom is their best source of hope.”

Tamarra echoes this feeling. She believes that if she stays at school, she can become a doctor in a more stable future. “My mother’s education has inspired me. I am determined to come through this painful time and succeed so we can grow up to be strong people,” she says.

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Video: Iraqi Children celebrate their return to school

© UNICEF/NYHQ2007-2319/Michael Kamber
Children attend class in a school in disrepair and has only the most basic supplies.

By Hind-Lara Mango

AMMAN, Jordan, 10 September 2007 – The Ikzaz family has been living in Jordan since 2004, when they fled Iraq as a result of ongoing violence there. As refugees, they are sustained only by the goodwill of their neighbour, Um Jum’a. Without her help, the Ikzaz family would have no food, clothes or shelter.

“I can’t work, or I will be deported,” says Iraqi-born Armash Ikzaz, a father of five. “I can’t afford to buy my children school books. We are lucky that they are in school.”

It costs about $70 dollars to enroll each non-Jordanian child in school and an additional $15 dollars to purchase school books. The Ikzaz children received some books through the goodwill of Um Jum’a, who collects money from families to help her Iraqi tenants. Still, the family cannot afford all of them.

“They took the books away from me and told me when I could pay I would have them back,” says Rana, 12.

The children wake up in the early hours of the morning and walk for 45 minutes to reach school. “We dread the coming months when the kids will have to walk to school in the merciless rain and bone-wrenching cold,” says Ms. Jum’a.

Help with textbooks and school fees

Recently, the Government of Jordan agreed to allow displaced Iraqi children to enrol in school here. There are about 750,000 Iraqis in the country, and just under 20,000 of the children attended Jordanian schools last year.

UNICEF and its partners have been supporting the government’s decision and aim to get an additional 50,000 Iraqi children into school this year. UNICEF is currently working with the Ministry of Education on a plan to supply Iraqi children with textbooks and to pay the school fees of children whose families cannot afford to do so.

However, Jordan’s already overcrowded classrooms cannot accommodate a new influx of students. In response, UNICEF is providing the Ministry of Education with technical support in order to help implement double-shift schools and rent additional buildings to accommodate the students. Teachers will also be trained to provide Iraqi children with psychosocial support.

Ikhlas, 13, lost several years of education after fleeing her home in Iraq. “We are happy to be in school,” she says, “but I feel embarrassed in front of the other students because I can’t buy all the books.”

For now, Ikhlas and the rest of her family are waiting patiently, hoping that their plight will improve.

© UNICEF Jordan/2007/ Al-Moughrabi