Education in Iraq is administered by Ministry of Education. According to UNESCO’s report Iraq had best educational performance prior to Gulf War in 1991 in the Arab region. Literacy rate was significantly high and Gross Enrollment Rate was 100%. Though education has suffered in after years due to sanctions imposed, war and instability in the region.

Following the invasion of Iraq by America in 2003, the Coalition Provisional Authority with help from International organizations undertook the complete reform of Iraqi Education System. The immediate target of Coalition was to remove Baathist ideology from teaching institutions, increase in salaries of educators and strengthening of teaching and training programs. The new ministry also appointed a national curriculum commission to revise curricula in all subjects. The Baathist regime did not provide sufficient funds for education in the past due to which in 2003 more than 80 percent of Iraqi schools were needed improvements. During Baathist rule the number of children attending schools were very low, many children were forced into labor.

After the change in political power in Iraq, the number of students attending schools becomes more than 6 million. This number includes children from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Six years of compulsory education is a must for all and everyone in Iraq after which students need to write National Examination. The performance of a student in National Examination determines whether he / she should further into upper grades. For those who do not pass the National Examination, a vocational education system is available. Starting from 7th standard boys and girls attend separate schools.

Iraq joined UNESCO on October 21, 1948. UNESCO’s Iraq office is temporarily sharing space with the UNESCO Office Amman in Jordan. In 2004, UNESCO has sent books for students and for university libraries in Baghdad as well as to regional centers in Basra and Mosul. Iraq has implemented UNESCO Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE), a 10-year initiative aimed at achieving the goals of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012).

UNESCO Institute for Statistics has collected data on education and literacy in Iraq. For complete access, Click Here.