The Changing Face of Kurdish Education

Following on the heels of Three Cups of Tea, it seems like a great time to discuss the state of the educational system in Kurdistan.
During Saddam’s reign, the school system in Kurdistan was largely ignored and not well supported (if it was supported at all). Since his downfall, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has been putting a lot of time, effort and money into rebuilding the school system, making a big push for education.
They are focusing on improving their university system as well as their primary and secondary schools, trying to make education available to as many of their citizens as possible. They are also trying to reach out to the expatriate community and draw in those Kurds who fled during the genocide. The government knows that in order to do this, they must be able to offer the children of these expatriates the same level of education they would receive in Europe.
Once settled into a new life in countries that can offer much more than their torn homeland, it can be a difficult decision to pack up the family and move back. However, the government is working hard to overcome the barrier created by the high educational standards in Europe and America. They have spent millions of dollars attracting foreign-run schools that offer high levels of English, Math and Science, as well as supplement the curriculum with Kurdish, Social Studies, Music and Art.
These schools tend to be run by foreign administrative staff at the upper levels, trained and hired by the international school systems, and bring in native English speakers to teach English and Math. Kurdish, Art, Music, Social Studies and PE are taught by local teachers and the lower to mid-level administrative positions are filled by locals as well, providing good jobs for many of the local citizenry.
And to provide further employment opportunities for Kurdish residents, at least one of these educational companies has been contracted to run schools in which teachers teach teachers. Native English speaking teachers hold classes to teach Kurdish teachers proper English pronunciation and teaching methodology (English is a complicated language to teach!) with the intent that the graduates of these schools can then go on to take teaching positions at locally run schools. In so doing, the local population will have more access and better opportunities to learn English.
While this might sound colonialistic, wanting to teach everyone English, the reality is that in the world today, English is quickly becoming the official international language. It is already the official language of flight, medicine and international business, and it is becoming more prevalent every day. By giving Kurdish children the ability to master English, their government is giving them the advantage of communicating outside their country’s borders, opening new avenues of prosperity for the individual and the governate.
The amount of money being poured into education by the government goes a long way to show how serious they are about rebuilding their community. By teaching the children well today, they will be well prepared to create a better tomorrow.