Education in Iraq: Failing future generations
December 16, 2020 at 9:21 pm | Published in: Article, Iraq, Middle East, Opinion
Primary school students seen with face masks on amidst the coronavirus pandemic, in Baghdad, Iraq on November 29, 2020 [Murtadha Al-Sudani / Anadolu Agency]
December 16, 2020 at 9:21 pm
Decisions made by the Iraqi government to close all internally displaced people (IDP) camps by the end of November 2020 have been disastrous. Decisions implemented without enough notice and without providing alternative safe accommodation have created fear and uncertainty among IDP families. Thousands of IDP, mostly women and children, are left in limbo. The United Nations (UN)'s International Organisation for Migration says that nearly half have been unable to return to their areas of origin and are living precariously on the edges of towns in damaged or unsafe buildings without basic necessities. This perilous situation affects children's ability to attend schools, in particular.