KRG opposes Cambridge proposal to privatize public schools

 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Region’s education ministry has come out against a proposal by Cambridge International School to privatize all public schools, on the basis that the KRG unilaterally opposes students having to pay for public education.

Halgord Shex Najeeb, Cambridge’s director in the Kurdistan Region, told Rudaw of a proposal to privatize all public schools.

"The project is to allow us have administrative authority over public schools to improve the standards up to those of private ones," Najeeb told Rudaw.

If the project is approved, students will be required to pay a yearly tuition.

"Based on our estimation, every student would pay only $200 per year, which is a small amount of money for a year and receiving such excellent education," Najeeb explained.

Tuition in private schools can range from $1,000-$8,000 per year. 

Najeeb said KRG’s Education Ministry viewed the project positively, but hasn’t begun to work on it.

"For the start, they can provide us with some public schools as sample, if it has a successful outcome, we can privatize other schools too," Najeeb added.

Other private international schools in the Kurdistan Region currently have public-private partnership (PPP) schools.

In the Kurdistan Region’s public schools, students from kindergarten to university level receive free education.

Saman Sevaili, the spokesperson for the education ministry, has reservations about a total privatization of schools.

“We have our own plan for managing public schools, and we are not ready to give this task at any time or under any conditions to private institutions,” he told Rudaw.

In accordance with KRG Education Ministry's rules, education in the Kurdistan Region is free.

“So we reject any project that aims to privatize public schools," Sevaili added.

Yearly the KRG spends about $400-420 per student.

Sevaili explained previously a UNICEF project was rejected on the grounds that it forced families to pay for education.