Decline of higher education in Iraq continues
Despite several recent achievements, Iraq's universities still suffer from poor management, corruption and sectarianism.
BAGHDAD — The University of Kufa declared on its website Sept. 6 that it ranked 701st among the world’s best universities, according to QS World University Rankings. This is great news for the reputation of the country's universities, since most Iraqi universities are not included in any global university rankings. Nevertheless, this achievement does not mean that Iraqi universities have overcome their problems, mainly the demand of students for an improvement in the education system. The student protests in Kufa that took place March 10 subsequently spread to the north and south of the country.
On Feb. 25, students from the University of Muthanna in Samawah, al-Muthanna province, banned then-Minister of Higher Education Hussein al-Shahristani from entering the campus, as they believed he had failed to improve tertiary education and provide essential academic facilities to Iraqi universities. On Aug. 30, university students in Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, boycotted classes because of the lack of financial grants for students.
