UN-ESCWA
Sector:
CIVIC EDUCATION
Country:
Iraq
Client:
UN-ESCWA
Date:
2012
Background: In addition to the development of an action plan to promote civic values and life skills within the Iraqi education system, eusg organized two study tours to expose Iraqi education experts, officials, legislators and concerned institutions’ representatives to interesting experiences and best practices in a European context and to expose them to regional and/or international methods of promoting civic values and life skills within both formal and non-formal educational settings.
Objectives and Results: The first tour, the Study Mission on Civic Education Curricula Development took place in Warsaw from 23 to 26 April 2012 and benefited a delegation of 17 senior level education sector officials from the Republic of Iraq. The delegation comprised director generals and high level officials from the concerned ministries, namely the Ministry of Education (Federal and KRG), the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (Federal and KRG), the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Federal and KRG) and the Ministry of Human Rights, in addition to representatives from civil society involved in civic education activities. The four-day study mission in Poland exposed Iraqi officials responsible for developing civic education curricula to the Polish model and its best practices and supported the establishment of linkages and networking arenas between both countries for the transfer of knowledge and expertise.
The second study tour focused on central and regional policy making mechanisms for fostering civic education inside and outside of schools in coordination with all of the concerned institutions and civil society. eusg held a four-day study mission to Berlin with the aim of exposing senior level Iraqi officials responsible for developing civic education policies to the German model and its best practices. The Study Mission on Civic Education Policy Development took place in Berlin, Germany from 21 to 24 May 2012 and gathered 16 senior high level officials from the Republic of Iraq, including the Minister of Education of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the Minister of Culture and Sports KRG and the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Educational Issues.
