Higher Education in Iraq: Government Ambitions and the Challenge of Reality

Written in Arabic. Below is an English summary — read the full article in Arabic ←.

Written after the Iraqi Prime Minister's appearance at Johns Hopkins University, this essay tests each of the government's claims about higher education against the reality on the ground.

The chairman welcomes the stated commitment to universities, digital education and AI — then asks the hard questions: where are the strategies, budgets and timelines? He is most direct on the claim that Iraqi universities are independent, non-sectarian spaces of free expression: "a matter that the atmosphere in the universities has not proven, and events of recent decades have not confirmed." What laws protect academic freedom? Has anyone ever been punished for violating university sanctity?

His conclusion: the government's plans remain well-intentioned promises until they are translated into concrete programmes with clear mechanisms for follow-up and evaluation — detailed plans, budgets, timelines, and radical reforms to create a free and productive academic environment.