Establishing the foundations for an inclusive education system in Iraq: reflection on findings from a nationwide survey

This paper reports a national study on the prevalence of childhood disability designed to inform initiatives promoting improved school attendance by children with disabilities in Iraq. The study was commissioned by UNICEF, coordinated by the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics, and designed by academics in the UK in consultation with Iraqi academics and professionals. The mixed methods study included a major household survey, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups across four of Iraq's 18 governorates (Erbil, Baghdad, Najaf and Basra). An initial scoping study collected background data through interviews, site-visits and document analysis, establishing the context and informing the design of the main study. In this paper, we provide an overview of the educational context in Iraq, data on school attendance and disability among children aged 6–18 years, and the perspectives and vision for education in Iraq verbalised by key stakeholders. This research provides insights into current patterns of school attendance, and considers some of the implications for inclusive education in Iraq. We conclude by discussing the potential for implementation of Iraqi policy initiatives to impact on the rights of disabled people within education and wider social provision.

[1]  E. Swart,et al.  Access to education in Africa: responding to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , 2012 .

[2]  M. Kett,et al.  Disability, vulnerability and citizenship: to what extent is education a protective mechanism for children with disabilities in countries affected by conflict? , 2011 .

[3]  Alfredo J. Artiles,et al.  Inclusive Education: Examining Equity on Five Continents. , 2011 .

[4]  E. Sondorp,et al.  Iraqi primary care system in Kurdistan region: providers’ perspectives on problems and opportunities for improvement , 2012, BMC International Health and Human Rights.

[5]  R. Goodman,et al.  Questionnaire screening for mental health problems in Bangladeshi children: a preliminary study , 2001, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

[6]  How to Change 5000 Schools , 2010 .

[7]  M. Khochen,et al.  Attitudes of teachers and headteachers towards inclusion in Lebanon , 2012 .

[8]  K. Al-Obaidi,et al.  A study of mainstream education opportunities for disabled children and youth and early childhood development in Iraq , 2011 .

[9]  B MilesMatthew,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis , 2018, Approaches and Processes of Social Science Research.

[10]  K. Riele.  Making Schools Different: Alternative Approaches to Educating Young People , 2009 .

[11]  Abbas Tashakkori,et al.  Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 1998 .

[12]  B. Levin,et al.  How to Change 5000 Schools: A Practical and Positive Approach for Leading Change at Every Level , 2008 .

[13]  Ndow As,et al.  The Gambia Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2005 / 2006 report. Monitoring the situation of children and women. , 2007 .

[14]  F. Ahmadi,et al.  Normative data and psychometric properties of the parent and teacher versions of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) in an Iranian community sample , 2009, Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

[15]  P. Atkinson,et al.  Making Sense of Qualitative Data: Complementary Research Strategies , 1996 .

[16]  Robert N.F. Conway,et al.  Inclusive education: The way to the future , 2010 .

[17]  J. Morsink,et al.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting, and Intent , 1999 .

[18]  P. Atkinson,et al.  Making sense of qualitative data , 1996 .

[19]  S. Kirk,et al.  Technology-dependent children in the community: definitions, numbers and costs. , 2001, Child: care, health and development.

[20]  Alis Oancea,et al.  Introduction to Research Methods in Education , 2009 .

[21]  Eric Puybaret,et al.  Universal Declaration of Human Rights , 2006 .

[22]  T. Loreman.  The irregular school: Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education , 2013 .

[23]  Paul Abberley.  The Politics of Disablement , 1992 .

[24]  H. Meltzer,et al.  Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a community sample. , 2000, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[25]  Yuko Araki,et al.  Scale properties of the Japanese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): A study of infant and school children in community samples , 2008, Brain and Development.

[26]  V. Gayle,et al.  Predictors of academic attainments of young people with Down's syndrome. , 2008, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[27]  Mark Vaughan,et al.  An Index for Inclusion , 2002 .

[28]  Y. Sayed,et al.  Inclusiveness and participation in discourses of educational governance in South Africa , 1998 .

[29]  T. Shakespeare,et al.  Editorial , 2011, Disability and rehabilitation.

[30]  Z. Bańkowski.  Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame and the Law , 2006 .

[31]  Sulochini Pather,et al.  Evidence on inclusion and support for learners with disabilities in mainstream schools in South Africa: off the policy radar? , 2011 .

[32]  A. Alwan.  Health in Iraq The Current Situation , Our Vision for the Future and Areas of Work , 2005 .

[33]  K. Seers.  Qualitative data analysis , 2011, Evidence Based Nursing.

[34]  J. Panel.  Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , 2013 .

[35]  Michael Oliver,et al.  Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice , 1995 .

[36]  W. Frontera.  The world report on disability. , 2012, American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation.

[37]  R. Goodman.  The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. , 1997, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[38]  A. Alborz,et al.  Academic attainments of children with Down's syndrome: a longitudinal study. , 2003, The British journal of educational psychology.

[39]  James A Knowles,et al.  National solid waste management plan for Iraq , 2009, Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA.

[40]  A. Closs,et al.  Prospects for inclusive education in European countries emerging from economic and other trauma: Serbia and Albania , 2006 .

[41]  長瀬 修.  わかりやすい障害者の権利条約 : 知的障害のある人の権利のために = Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities , 2009 .

[42]  R. Goodman,et al.  Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. , 2001, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[43]  Alan Smith.  Education and Conflict. Think piece prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011 The Hidden Crisis Armed conflict and education , 2009 .