Iraq

Training: The traditional teachers training program in Iraq has depended on independent training institutes in which future teachers enroll after the completion of the intermediate phase. Primary school teachers enroll in a five-year course after secondary intermediate school. Courses lead to a diploma. There also exist two-year training institutes to which students are admitted after completing the secondary phase. Most of these institutes have been converted into four-year teachers' colleges at the university level. The Colleges of Education functioning within the Universities of Baghdad, Mosul, Basrah, Al-Mustansiriyah, and Salahaddin train secondary school teachers. They offer a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree program.

In 1992-1993, many central teachers training centers were converted into teachers colleges. Institutes that specialized in Islamic education, a significant part of modern Iraqi educational philosophy, were opened.

The following describes the training activities of teachers, supervisors, educational specialists, and educational administration employees, in the context of primary and secondary education, during the period 1994-1995. In 1994, 43 courses in nurseries were taught to 195 trainees; in 1995 it was 37 courses to 1,023 trainees. In 1994, there were 904 primary education courses taught to 30,719 trainees, and in 1995 there were 1,017 courses taught to 35,470 trainees. In 1994, 504 secondary education courses were taught to 13,702 trainees; in 1995, 625 courses were taught to 19,013 trainees. In 1994, 11 vocational education courses were taught to 238 trainees; in 1995, nine courses were taught to 151 trainees. In the areas of education and specialization, 10 courses were taught to 208 trainees in 1994, while 11 courses were taught to 242 trainees in 1995.

Teaching skills and pedagogical innovation are reinforced and developed throughout teachers' careers. The Ministry of Education prepares teachers' guidebooks in order to help them develop their teaching styles. Among the activities recommended for teachers are: encouraging students to utilize problem solving methods; teaching of undertaking simplified research and reports; working on individual and collective projects; and using discussions and the exchange of opinions as teaching tools.