Iraqi higher education continues decline
Although Iraq has seen a sharp rise in the number of higher education institutions in recent years, the quality remains poor.
Iraqi universities were known for their scholarly and technical prosperity in the 1960s and 1970s. They graduated the best specialists in the Arab world in various disciplines, and hundreds of foreign students from other Arab countries came to study in Iraq because of the reputation and prestige of these institutions.
Yet, they lost this reputation in the 1980s due to Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, ongoing wars and the economic blockade, and there is nothing on the horizon suggesting a qualitative development to restore the scholarly status of Iraqi universities. The reasons for this are the crises that have plagued Iraq in the post-2003 period, in addition to the unsuccessful policies of the Ministry of Higher Education and other governmental institutions involved.
