University of Baghdad

***SONYA OSTROM

People everywhere were warm and friendly, especially when they learned we were from America. When they heard of our mission they thanked us profusely.  This was true at the University of Baghdad where we paid an almost unexpected visit.

We were shown into the Bio lab, which was woefully deficient, in need of basic equipment and the air-conditioning was in need of repair with no parts available, and while this was obviously to impress on us what sanctions had done. I was even more impressed by student complaints about lack of paper and books and the need to do all their lab work through books.  They also spoke of holding exams early because it became too hot to use the exams for anything but fans.

When we met with the president of the school, I asked him about computers, and he said they could not teach even a basic freshman computer course because UNSCOM had canceled their order for PC’s.

To Iraq’s credit, the University was filled with students, 50,000 in 20 colleges, too many to be merely be the sons and daughters of riche parents.  And unlike much of the Middle East – there seemed to be as many women as men.  Education in Iraq is free, so the University is filled to overflowing with an increase in graduate students 5,000 in Masters and PHD programs, because they cannot send students at this level to other countries to study.

Because of sanctions, students and faculty are not able to attend conferences held in other countries, and they feel they suffer from a loss of this contact.  They also lack the books and journals that would keep them abreast of their individual fields of study.  There is no question here that sanctions harm even the academic life of the country.
 

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