For no clear reason, the Iraqi ministry of education took a step back on May 17 and reintroduced the separation of boys and girls in classrooms. The directives impose strict regulations for private institutes and for language courses: in particular they prohibit the formation of mixed classes and the maintenance of gender separation. “It is a preliminary test to test the reactions of public opinion before implementing the same measures in higher education in all universities in Iraq,” explains Professor Mohammed al Rubeai.
The new regulations also impose gender segregation for teaching staff in all single-sex institutions: female teachers for girls, and male teachers for boys. The provision also specifies that school change in all private institutions is possible only if the student’s gender corresponds to that of the institution, while mixed trips will not be allowed.
A jump in the past
Since its inception in the 1930s, higher education in Iraq has been mixed, and this model has resisted the alternation of five different ruling authorities. But since Islamic parties took power in 2003, pressure has increased on the government and parliament to change the rules and separate classes based on sex. Most of the universities and private institutes are owned by these parties, and strict separation regulations were already applied here that affect both the student body and the teaching staff.
Now the time has come when they feel they can step back into the past. All private institutions have been given an ultimatum of “no more than six months” to apply the new regulation, “and in the event of non-implementation, the teaching license will be revoked and the defaulting institution will be permanently closed”.
(Translation by Francesco De Lellis)