Iraq makes important gains for school children
“I’ve been beaten twice at school,” says Khawla, 12. “Once when I was in the first grade I was hit because I didn’t do my homework. The second time my teacher beat me so badly that I had to stay home for a week.”
Iraq has taken an important step towards eliminating physical violence in classrooms, like that experienced by Khawla. At two conferences held in December at the federal level in Baghdad and the regional level in Erbil, education authorities signed agreements with UNICEF to end corporal punishment in all 21,160 primary and basic education schools in Iraq within the next seven years.
The conferences also explored ways to educate teachers, students and families on the benefits of non violence.
Globally the use of corporal punishment in schools is outlawed, yet Iraq is one of the many countries in which it continues. And now, for the first time, a study has linked physical violence to lower academic performance.
The report, commissioned by the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti shows that corporal punishment of eight year olds is linked to lower maths scores when those who are beaten are compared with those who are not.
UNICEF’s Child Friendly Schools initiative, which is supported by a generous contribution from the European Union, provides a blueprint for schools to transform into welcoming environments where children can be nurtured and to learn in a holistic environment.
Khawla, who told her story at the education workshop, is now in a school that doesn’t have physical violence, she says her learning environment is vastly improved. “The relationship between the teachers and students is very friendly,” she says. “I enjoy my studies and want to become either a doctor or a police officer.”
Chris Niles is a UNICEF consultant with UNICEF in Iraq.
Direct donations to UNICEF Iraq: http://support.unicef.org/campaign/donate-children-iraq
