IRAQ: US $1 billion to rebuild higher education‏

7-26-09
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090724102929257

Iraq has launched a five-year, $1 billion higher education plan to boost the nation's science and technology workforce while promoting knowledge-based sustainable development. The plan was announced on Saturday by Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who is in the US to sign an implementation agreement and establish an American Universities Iraq Consortium.

The agreement to manage the plan was signed by al-Maliki, on behalf of the Iraqi government's committee for education development, and Stephen Moseley, President of the Washington-based Academy for Educational Development.

The plan will be implemented in two phases: the first with a scholarship initiative to send up to 10,000 Iraqi students abroad each year over the next five years. The students will undertake two-year technical degrees as well as bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees at universities in Australia, Canada, Britain and the US.

Under a $54 million pilot programme, 500 students will go to the US for the 2009-2010 academic year. The degrees include engineering, health, science and technology as well as education.

The second phase of the plan involves an overhaul of the entire Iraq education system from K-12 to higher education. The focus will be on rebuilding university infrastructure, including new laboratories and establishing internet connections.

Sattar Sadkhan Almaliky, head of scientific affairs and public relations at Babylon University in Iraq and director of the Iraqi Academic Committee, said building infrastructure had to be given top priority as most universities in the war-torn nation were not fully operational.