namam palander master of arts sociology in education
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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”
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