Teaching democracy in Iraq 

In September, Eric Duncan from the AFT international affairs department spent two weeks visiting schools and meeting with educators in Iraq. He reports here on his experiences in Iraqi Kurdistan.

It's the first day of school for students and staff at Ahmed Zhaki elementary school in Erbil, Iraq. And like the first day of school anywhere, there's a combination of excitement and anticipation.

Erbil is the capital city of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, separated from the rest of the country by language, culture and tradition—and by its recent history as a zone protected by U.S. armed forces during the years before the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Americans are welcome in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the residents will tell you that their years under U.S. protection have given the Kurds something of a head start over the rest of the country in building new political institutions and running a free-market economy. Erbil, in fact, has become a boomtown—with new roads, businesses and apartment complexes. It's an exciting time, but the sudden economic expansion also has meant that teachers are having a hard time keeping pace with the rising cost of living.

Kurdish culture places a high value on education, from elementary school through university, but the current demand is greater than the public school system can meet. Teachers must juggle double shifts and improvise for classroom space, and there are shortages in supplies and computer equipment.

The Ahmed Zhaki school is no exception—classrooms are extremely crowded, and two students must share a single desk. Still, even though packed, the school is bright, cheerful and modern. The library is well-stocked and the support staff, friendly. Students, crisply dressed in uniforms, are welcoming. Classes are coed; girls and young women continue in education at a high participation rate, and in some university faculties—law, engineering and medicine—there's near parity.

Faculty and staff are especially proud of the school's role as a haven for children of families who have fled other parts of Iraq because of sectarian violence. Schools in Iraqi Kurdistan make no distinctions based on religious or ethnic background.

The Ahmed Zhaki teachers I met are all members of the Kurdish Teachers Union, and they're proud that the union is active on their behalf. The union gives them a voice in local politics and has recently been successful in negotiating a much-needed pay raise. Teachers are also supportive of the local government's efforts to modernize the curriculum and improve teacher training, even if securing funding for these improvements remains challenging.

I left the school impressed by the dedication of this group of teachers. Despite all the difficulties now facing Iraq, here is a faculty of young women and men who want their U.S. counterparts to know there is a part of Iraq where good news is emerging. And they want all to know that Iraqi teachers, with the support of their union, are fully engaged in preparing young people to be successful citizens in a tolerant, pluralistic and democratic Iraqi Kurdistan.

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HELP EDUCATORS IN IRAQ
The AFT international affairs department, through a grant from the American Center for International Labor Solidarity and the National Endowment for Democracy, is working with Iraqi teachers to support their roles as educators and unionists. The Ahmed Zhaki school would welcome hearing from U.S. schools interested in starting an informal partnership. If interested, e-mail iad@aft.org.