It is noticeable that higher education in Iraq suffers from several problems. Some of these problems are complex, and others are easy to overcome. Some of the issues are related to government policy in managing educational institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research banner. The other problems are related to educational institutions, especially with curricula and academic courses. There is another problem associated with the central part of the educational process: the teacher.
We believe that the fundamental dilemma in Iraqi higher education lies in the centralization reflected in management, appointment, and student placement based on the electronic form application. These aspects have in turn created the following problems:
- The centralization of management has affected the management mechanism in appointing well-qualified people.
- The fact that the Ministry is obligated to appoint every holder of a higher education certificate in higher education institutions has dramatically affected the quality and competence of the professors and teaching staff who work in our educational institutions.
- The central admission process for baccalaureate studies, or its equivalent, contributed to the imbalance of education outputs – the country’s need for graduates does not match society’s needs.
- The central administration was the reason behind the Iraqi universities’ low ranks in the international university rankings.
- Among the disadvantages of the central administration of higher education in Iraq is the third-round exam for students who have failed, appointing exceptions, granting exemption privileges from university admission, or granting additional grades to specific groups (children of martyrs or their families). These have affected the quality and credibility of higher education to some extent at home and abroad.
- The scientific research publishing and the scientific periodicals of the Iraqi scientific and educational institutions are negatively affected by the central administration.
This paper will further highlight the paradox of central administration and weaving in the State Rent, which the Ministry of Higher Education of Iraq adopts instead of granting a kind of decentralization in appointing professors, directors, editors of scientific journals, accepting students, and determining academic courses. On the other hand, accepting the privatization of higher education institutions to manage their tasks effectively. The paper compares various advanced systems in the world, as is the case in the United Kingdom.
