Education issues guidance for illiteracy abolition centres

In cooperation with UNISCO, the Kirkuk Education department has issued some general guidelines for arranging studies in Illiteracy Abolition Centres in Hawija. 

Ibrahim Jasim Hamdoon, director of Hawija Education said the Kirkuk Education department had sent them some guidelines concerning the abolition of illiteracy in Kirkuk as, “The participants should not number over 20 in one class, and the class should be closed if the number was much lower.”

He said the guidelines prevent mixing girls and boys in the centres, as well as limiting the time of studying to three days a week and ten lectures.

The students have mixed reactions to the new guidelines as some of them considered it positive while the others deem them to be negative.

“I’m considering shutting down the classes as being bad if the number of students were less than 20, since some villages may not have enough students while they still want to learn,” Hamdoon said.

Sabriya Jabir, 43, said, “I’m surprised to see the decision of separating us (boys and girls), we are all relatives living in one village.”

On the other hand, 23 centres of illiteracy abolition were opened last week in Hawija, according to a civic society organization.

According to the organization, 3,431 people were going to the 23 newly-opened centres including 1,471 females and 797 males with another 1,061 men and women attending the mixed classes.

Yasin al-Sab’awi – Kirkuk Now