Press Conference to Rescue Education

Details

Press Conference to Rescue Education

19-01-2019

Under the theme (Decision Makers are Tomorrow’s Generation), Tammuz Organization for Social Development participated in the leading of an advocacy campaign on 19/1/2019 at the “Petroleum Cultural Center” along with other civil society organizations: “Madarek Institution”, Public Aid Organization, Dar-Alsalam Iraqi Center, the organization of “I am a Civilian”, “Nations Institution for Democratic Culture” and the organization of “Ufuq”. “Rescuing Education Campaign” was launched through a press conference included a wide group of radio-channels and journalists along with a wide group of civil activists and teachers.

The conference began with presenting detailed data in numbers on the educational status in Iraq except the Kurdistan-region, the, a statement was given announcing the launch of the campaign. The statement included the following points:

1-A call to lobby decision makers in Iraq to adopt a national policy, which should implement high-quality educational systems by means of a strategy focuses on qualifying those working in education service in order build humans and instill high moral values to construct a civil state based on citizenship, justice and peaceful coexistence.

2-The advancement of schools’ status so they would be able to supply the country with efficient and experienced people that would contribute in building it at all levels.

3-Put an end to school buildings collapse, the provision of suitable and attractive buildings is the biggest challenge facing educational segment due to the deterioration of its infrastructure to a degree that most of old school buildings became obsolete and unsuitable for modern education methods.

4- Rectifying the apparent shortage in the number of school buildings that reached (7441) buildings, including (kindergartens, primary and secondary schools), which led to the adoption of the double -shift hours in most of schools Annual-statics indicators for 2015-2016 affirmed that there were 961 tri-shift schools and (63337) double-shift schools in addition to (1033) war-damaged school buildings in liberated areas (582) of which are completely damaged and in need to get reconstructed. not to mention crowded-classes problem where in some stages there are 41 students in each class.

5-Calling to increase financial allocations for education, its proportion had reached 3.86% in 2004 from the general budget, and had been raised to (7.84%) in 2011, then it was severely narrowed down to (1.45%) in 2017.

Schools that was built in Iraq (Except Kurdistan -region) from 2005-to 2016 by investment budget, provincial development, marshes revival, organizations and grants projects reached only (4105) schools in addition to (414) schools were built by the higher-building council. While work in schools in process of being built has been suspended due the financial crises and abdication of Industry, housing and reconstruction ministries & some private companies from their commitments. There are 1464 schools with project No.1 and 64 ones within investment budget of the ministry, 716 school buildings within provincial development &accelerating building projects ,15 ones of other bodies and 129 ones within the project of marshes revival.

The statement was concluded by the stimulus to address the national and social responsibility, and the status of the House of Representatives and the federal government and local governments in front of their responsibilities in making the educational sector ranked first among their priorities, as it represents a public demand urgent and right guaranteed by the Iraqi constitution. And to hold the government responsible for hundreds of mud schools in a country with the world's second-largest oil reserves. These schools contain dilapidated classrooms with dozens of students of both sexes. A clear indicator of the waste of billions of dollars allocated to support education in the budget over the past years because of corruption and failure.