HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY-BUILDING IN THE KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ: PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVESNamam PalanderMaster of ArtsSociology in EducationComparative, International and Development Education

IRAQ’S EDUCATION SYSTEM DURING SADDAM’S REGIME

IRAQ’S EDUCATION SYSTEM AFTER SADDAM’S REGIME

1. In the 1970s to early 1980s: Iraq’s education system was recognized as one of the best in the Middle East

2. In the 1980s to late 1990s: Iraq’s education was devastated by different wars

3. Saddam enforced one-single curricular system with little transparency, democracy or accountability

4. Forced students and academics to follow his political ideology, philosophy and leadership Many professors fled the country in the 1990s

1. After the US-led coalition in 2003, Iraq was transformed into a unified federal democracy that is market oriented

2. Democratic process began in 2005 a positive period in Kurdistan Region

3. Kurdistan has successfully created its own autonomous regional government (KRG) building the foundation for economic growth, infrastructure, governance & private sector

4. A new Higher Education policy was developed in 2010 and was implemented in 2011

Research Goal• Examining the perceptions and operational

assumptions of university representatives with regard to the new higher education policy-making in Kurdistan. It explores the policy’s first priority, the aim to bridge the gap between quality and quantity in higher education

• This will help identify what type of quality culture in higher education is being encouraged and if it will enable higher education to serve as a bridge for Kurdistan to the global knowledge economy

Reforming Teaching to Ensure Quality

Source: MoHESR-KRG, 2010

Sub-Questions

1. How was the quality of higher education during Saddam Hussein’s regime? How different is it now?

2. How is the new quality culture promoted within institutions of higher education? What are the main elements of such a culture?

3. How do university representatives react to the new quality policy that aims to reform teaching to achieve quality through quality assurance? Do they adopt, resist or make and shape this quality policy and these quality initiatives?

Methodology• Fieldwork was conducted in one of the

universities in the Kurdistan Region (UKR) from April to June 2012

• UKR: the first university to implement the quality assurance procedures

• This is a mixed-methods case study

Methods1. First interview The Director of Quality

Assurance from the Ministry of HE

2. Second set of interviews Nine university representatives selected from UKR

3. Survey Administrated to a random sample of 305 faculty members that faithfully reflected those in the whole population of 1460, within a 30% range

Findings: Director of QA• QA initiatives are implemented in order to end

conventional teaching methods, update resources & meet the demands of the market economy

• The Ministry faced many challenges and criticisms from the university representatives about the program

• Director views quality in terms of excellence, achieving high academic standards, value for money, judged against return on investment, and as a transformation process

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Question Interview SurveyQuality of education during Saddam

Infrastructure and academic life devastated by wars

Many fled the country in 1990s, but returned after the changes

Majority support changes believe in developing quality in HE in order to accommodate to the world changes in science & market demands

70% of participants began teaching after 2003

Quality of Education before 2003: 30% said it was above average & 39% said it was average

After 2003: 31% said it is above average & 34% said it is average 

Question Interview SurveySupport of quality policy and the initiatives

Support QA procedures, but less supportive of the management structure and process, arguing that it is centralized

54% support new quality culture 18% support the implementation and management process

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Question Interview SurveyFocus of the quality teaching: Economic integration vs. political and cultural cohesion?

QA is more concerned with economic integration The process is created only to serve the market needs

Believe reforms on teaching that are imposed on the basis of external demands do not reflect the cultural and historical context of UKR

Different than interview result, as 44% believe that quality teaching focuses on economic integration and political cohesion

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Question Interview SurveyIf QA standards are addressing the recurring issues in HE such as teaching, curriculum, institutional autonomy, academic freedom, etc.?

More concentrated on teaching and curriculum

Region has not reached the level of modernization and progress founded in Western countries 

57% selected teaching and 50% selected curriculum

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Question Interview SurveyIssues with QA Evaluation tools: student feedback, external evaluators, continuing education, peer-review, teacher’s portfolio , self-assessment

Majority are for all except strongly opposing student feedback, external assessors & peer-review

Parallel findings as the interview results: 44% agreed to self-assessment 32% supported student feedback 22% supported peer-review 34% supported external assessors 43% favoured continuing education

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Question Interview SurveyCurriculum Development: more focused on teaching or research?

Have you received professional development training? Has it shifted your traditional teaching methods?

More focused on teaching

 

Few received teacher training, thus traditional teaching methods were not shifted

34% selected teaching as the main focus of the new curriculum 47% said it concentrates on teaching & research

59% received training

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Findings: Interview and Surveyperceptions of university representatives on quality teaching

Would institutional autonomy maintain good quality education?

Institutional autonomy should be established immediately since the Ministry takes long time to review their comments and suggestions

No faculty autonomy in program planning

78% said yes  60.1% faculty or department are not autonomous in their program planning

Discussion: Conceptual Framework• What does quality education means to university

representatives? – Newton’s (2007) formal meanings of ‘quality’

in the early 1990s to situated perceptions of ‘quality’ of front-line academics in 2012

• Used Harvey and Stensaker’s (2008) Weberian ideal-types of quality culture to understand the reality of quality culture for faculty members and the Ministry of HE

• Model’s two dimensions: if individual behaviour is group-controlled or if it is prescribed by external rules and regulations• Weberian ideal-types of quality culture:

responsive, reactive, regenerative and reproductive modes

Discussion: Conceptual Framework

The Ministry of HE: Regenerative Mode

• Quality culture is internally established• Created its own internal regeneration process• Accountability• Offer different learning opportunities• Different methods of evaluation

Faculty Members: Reactive Mode• Lack of involvement with the external demands• Hesitant to accept most forms of quality

evaluation• Favour opportunities where action is connected

to reward• Quality culture is externally constructed,

directed and imposed• The Ministry has complete ownership

Conclusion• Majority of the university representatives support

the new quality policy but oppose the management process

• Rigid centralization with some political interference are identified as central issues embedded in the management process

Major Changes Needed• Policy framework: state centric or neoliberal

model? – New policy: a mix of neoliberal and

neoconservative principles

• Lack of clear definition of “quality”