Iraqi Al-Amal association (1AA) Education
sector programmes until February 2007
Challenge project for education and
literacy for women:
Building on IAA experience in Kurdistan for
7 years from 1997-2003, Al-Amal launched in
the end of 2005 the Challenge Project, a
literacy campaign among women, the programme
implemented in the following governorates:
(Diwanyia , Najaf , and Basra ) , the period
of the program for first stage was from 6-9
months , to teach reading and writing ,
improving the health education and social
culture for women, train them on sewing, and
other hand work, and due to the demand of
Najaf countryside ( specifically in Al-Qaiem
district ) , a youth literacy class was
opened, the classes started from March 2006
with 20 youth , who are looking forward to
graduating certificate that will qualify
them to apply for jobs in the governmental
institutes (the certificate is one of the
requirements of job applications to
government institutes’ jobs).
The second stage of the programme, focused on
school girls’ drop outs, preparing them to
go back to school and continue their
studies, by rehabilitating schools drop outs
to perform general certificates exams, where
18 students from Al-Alam region in Tikrit
enrolled in general school exams, 7 of the
applicants, applied for intermediate school
certificate, and 11 for high school
certificate, many of the applicants now have
enrolled in colleges and technical
institutes to finish either their diplomas,
university degree, or back into high school,
Literacy In Al-Najaf and Al-Dewanyia
·
In the first of February of
2006, two centers in Diwanyia governorate
was opened: in Al-Mahnawia and Al-Salaheia,
while in Najaf governorate: AL-Qadesia and
Al-Abasseia centers. In March 3rd,
a class for men and women was opened in
Al-Qaiem, and the teaching course continued
till November. During the time frame
mentioned, 14 educational topics (according
to the Ministry of Education rules) were
assigned for the students to finish before
enrolling in the 9 months preparatory
curriculum studies, in which they received
training on 15 educational topics, where
afterwards the students are qualified to
apply for general exams, and this degree
will qualify them to get a job opportunity
in any government institute. After that they
go through another rehabilitation with
information updating and development period,
which consist of 21 months, the process
consists of 3 phases: each of 7 months ,
where students are introduced to the school
curricula for ( 4th ,5th
,6th) grades including English
courses, this system qualifies students to
apply for primary school general exams, in
addition to the technically educational
process, the students were anxious to burn
stages in reading and writing, targeting to
obtain degrees to be qualified for jobs,
according to the general economical
depression that has affected Iraqis in
general, and women in particular,
· The programme witnessed
good coordination efforts with The
Government’s Educational Institutes and
departments in general, varying from
governorate to another, their contribution
included donation of curricula, or
authorizing opening classes inside schools,
or providing other facilitations, in
Al-Najaf education department provided
literacy classes with all curricula for all
students.
·
The total accepted number
of students were 265 ( from both gender)
·
There were very few cases
of absence, due to teaching staff monitoring
and restricting allowed absence days to
maximum 4 days, or student will be
disqualified for the programme, especially
in Al-Qaiem center for men, where absentees
were 26 for all centres, mostly from
Al-Qaiem centre for men, due to the farming
seasons, as farming is the only source of
income in the area as for other studies
center had few absents or leaves in spite of
the hot weather and electricity blackouts.
·
About 110 women form
literacy classes were trained on handicrafts
( sewing , knitting , and all other needle
work skills) for 45 days, to qualify them
for future income generating projects or be
economically independent.
·
The project gave good
results on educational account, here are few
highlights:
Ø
Educational and knowledge
branch , as students acquiring how to read
and write, perform basic mathematics, in
addition to .also some culture and ethical
knowledge , as learning positive behavior in
their social skills, amongst students and
between students and teachers. Raising team
work techniques between students, where the
group shared donation to help one of their
colleagues to pay for surgery.
Ø
In addition to acquiring
new skills in health, communications,
community networking, and citizenship, they
also gained skills on ethics as
accountability of career obligations,
importance of controlling their consumption,
helping spouses, birth control, how to
improve income.
·
In the 1st of
November 2006, the graduates from phase 1 of
literacy started the complementary stage
with 239 students, with no absentees or drop
outs, upon request from students lectures
per week were increased from three to four,
using curricula of Arabic language
conversation and reading, mathematics,
Islamic studies, as for health care we
depended on safe health habits table, to
help students with acquiring good health
habits. By showing practical living
applications, as for social awareness
course, the programme did not only concern
on awareness, but the programme was arranged
especially to rehabilitate country women
socially, economically, politically, and on
health issues, this awareness process was
delivered throughout the teaching process,
with an evaluation for each step the
students go through about what they learn.
In a smooth coordination between the
educational department, Ministry of
Education assigned inspector and the
management of the project, the graduates’
certificates were signed jointly by the
educational department and IAA, the
certificates were delivered to the
beneficiaries in an Educational meeting
ceremony, held on February 19th
2007, as this coordination effort between
the ministry and the IAA developed in the
process, the Department promised curricula
for advance teaching classes for older
students,
In Kerbla:
·
By the mid of May 2006,
Noor One centre was opened in Bad’a Aswad as
one classs in Al-Ajial primary school, and
Noor Two centre in Algadeer District, where
four classes were opened in Maria the Coptic
High school,
·
The opening attended by
Director of Educational Inspection
department in Kerbala, the representative of
the Teachers association, and several civil
society organizations.
·
The Teachers’ Association
took the responsibility of obtaining all
necessary approvals from education
department in Kerbala,
·
Director of General
Education in Kerbala Education Department
sent a letter to IAA, commending the
initiative for opening a literacy centre in
Kerbala,
· The local city councils
showed support and cooperation with the
project, expressing will to sustain the work
of the Association and the future continues
of the work in the region
·
The education department
provided the project with curricula for 1st
and 2nd grades and appointed
educational inspectors to monitor the
progress of the project,
·
Total female students 130
in Noor 1st centre (Bad’a Aswad)
29 students, Noor Centre 2 in AlGhadeer
District 101 students
·
Absence rate was about 20
students, due to tribal traditions, and bad
economic and security situation
· There was always meeting
with the students, to improve their
communications with the management and
identifying their problems
· Opening training courses to
teach women handicrafts, with cooperation of
youth and sport department in Kerbala,
· Giving lectures on human
rights and citizenship to the students
·
Suggesting that importance
of raising teaching staff computer skills,
human rights awareness, social awareness,
women rights
· A sewing workshop took
place in 19-20th February 2007
for Noor 1 and 2 centres,
· In 23-24th
February 2007 the students took their tests
and we notice high improvement for students
in both centres
·
The educational inspector
gave his report on his field visit to the
centres evaluating the students situations
and teachers positively, and the students
reading and writing skills in short time and
hand work and the improvement in their
social and health awareness, and their
active interaction during classes,
In Basra
With the cooperation of Al-FERDOS local NGO in
Basra, Literacy campaign started in Basra:
· In the beginning of July
2006, 6 centres were opened as 11 class in
the following areas: (al-hartha, al-magdeia,
al-resala Neighborhood, al-lateif
Neighborhood, the cultural centre,
al-hussain Neighborhood: Block 3 and 4).
Fixed number of students is 398, absence
rate is 3% from total due to deteriorating
living conditions
·
Curricula for older
category teaching were used for teaching
reading, writing, and mathematics, use some
subject from 1st grades , the
primary reading book (AlKhaldooniya), in
teaching students Arabic letters and
spelling , IAA had to make copies of all
books because of the shortage in the
education department stores. Plus Islamic
education and health care on vaccination
dates and importance, some first aid courses
and needles injections
·
Clothes simple designing
and sewing in workshops in Al-haretha,
al-hussain Neighborhood for 2 consecutive
months
·
For October, sessions took
place to identify the major problems
preventing the girls from finishing their
education
· One of the positive signs
is the great demand of students on learning
with no certain limits, and anxiously to
acquiring knowledge's and more
information's, Few of them demanded an
English courses, while continuing Arabic
grammars teaching for 2nd stage,
in addition to increasing sewing,
healthcare and social classes, not only for
curricula children but to elderly curricula
with suggestion from educational inspectors
to open such centres in both Aljazera and
Shat Alarab areas,
· Suggestions from Alfrdoss
NGO is to give hand writing classes , due to
the poor hand writing for most students
·
In December we started oral
and written exams
· In 28 December, the exams
results. Graduation started, for those who
finished 6 months, with representatives from
several associations and organizations
In Baghdad
In the last Semester of 2006, IAA communicated
with one of the main educational department
in Baghdad: Rasafa 1st , for
literacy classes in Camp Sarah area in
Baghdad, two classes were authorized to open
in one of the Camp Sarah local schools, the
launch of project requires additional funds
support in 2007
REHABILATION PROGRAM FOR FINSHING GENERAL
EXAMS
In Al-Alam district /Saladdin governorate
In partnership with UNIFEM, IAA started a
pioneering project to rehabilitate women and
girls to finish their general exams after
they drop out from high schools and
intermediate schools
With this project, the IAA was able to enter
a forbidden area that carries a lot of
reservations related to an NGO working in
this dimension, but the project was a great
success among the local community, this
success was clear from the large number of
girls and women participating in it.
·
In 1st of December 2005, 67
students join the project, 15 students from
final High school/ arts and science
branches, 52 from ninth grade in the
intermediate school
·
They work for 12 hours a week, for 3 days
per week, for 5 months, till final exams
started in June 6th , we found special
obligation for teaching faculty to fill from
working hours, attendance, finishing all
curricula on time, quite a welcome gesture
amongst students
· In addition to teaching books IAA also
distributed full stationary and clothes to
students, as a bonus to attend,with
transportation fees for those who live far
way
·
In June 15th, IAA arranged for an
enhancement workshop for weak students in
mathematics, English, Arabic, for 2 hours
daily for 6 days per week till second final
exams started
· The students had some obstacles, one of them
is age as 9 students were denied the right
to enter preparatory exams because of their
young age in the exams that took place on
the 8th of March 2006, 7 students
passed the intermediate general examo, 12
high school class, failure detected for
intermediate class for administrative
reasons (variation of ages of participants,
long drop out times between 8-26 years,
short teaching period …)
Ministry reasons (age restrictions, hard and
professional question) security reasons: (
bad security, arm conflicts, tribal
conflicts)
Final results
-
All students passed the ministry examination
for mid classes as 7 students , 3 enter high
school , studying right now in al-alam
district high school , other 4 listed for
teachers institute in Tikrit,
- 11 students passed
high
school finals, except one who failed, 5 were
accepted in Tikrit college of education in
departments: English, history, Arabic,
religion, 3 graduates admitted to Business
and Management Institute in Aldoor district,
the other three were accepted in Management
school in Kirkuk Governorate, where they
couldn’t attend because of the security and
financial situation, with one year delay to
finish, two of the graduates found jobs as
clerks in two schools in AlAlam,
Recommendations
1.
Planning for such projects for enough period
time before school year,
2.
Promoting the project should take different
forms, especially before the school year
starts,
3.
Announcing on the project on different
methods before school year:
-
Participant must not exceed
30 years
-
Has no more than 10 years
drop out
-
Not to accept applicants
who have not passed 8th grade Intermediate
class, 10th grade high school
class
-
Inspecting the reason
behind dropping out in the first place
4. Forming a teaching committee to evaluated the
applications on certain criteria,
5. Taking a written commitment from students
registered at the notary public,
6. Starting classes from November
Major problems IAA faced in teaching women
program:
·
IAA depended on its own
financial sources to sponsor literacy
classes and handicrafts training workshops
·
The domination of
clergymen, and spreading of religious ideas
from few officials in education and
institutes in the governorates,
·
The role of tradition and
community tradition, economical depression,
curbed women from being able to finish their
schools,
· Some governmental
institutes create and put obstacles on the
association work or delay any approvals
required.
