Government campaign tackles high school dropout rates in rural villages

MAYSAN – In the rural areas of Qal’at Salih, south of Maysan, a government-led campaign is underway to address the significant number of school dropouts. The initiative, led by Mustafa Al-Jabri, principal of Al-Ghassaniyah School, alongside the director of the Literacy Center and several educational staff, aims to encourage families to send their children back to school.

The campaign has identified 350 dropouts in villages including Al-Watan, Al-Jawhari, Al-Nasr, Al-Jamsha, Al-Bayda, Al-Kassara, and Al-Karama. So far, 120 students have returned to school, while 230 remain absent. Launched on Sept. 15, the campaign will continue through the end of October, supported by UNICEF and the Maysan Directorate of Education.

“The campaign is part of a broader effort to combat dropout rates in the region,” Al-Jabri told 964media.

The campaign team, comprising supervisors, teachers, and volunteers, has been working in the villages of Al-Azir District for 45 days. “We have successfully brought more than 120 students back to formal education, including children aged 6 to 15 for regular schooling and individuals aged 13 to 35 for non-formal programs like evening classes and accelerated learning,” Al-Jabri explained.

Ra’d Thugub, director of the Literacy Center, expressed optimism about the campaign’s progress. “We visited several villages in Al-Azir and gathered many names of students who had dropped out. Today, we are in Al-Watan, where the community has been cooperative in our efforts,” he said.

Iraq has long grappled with high dropout rates, particularly in rural regions. According to the United Nations, millions of Iraqi children are out of school or at risk of dropping out. This issue was exacerbated by the conflict with ISIS. Despite ongoing efforts to improve access to education, challenges persist. UNICEF estimates that 3.2 million school-aged children in Iraq are currently out of school, underscoring the need for sustained government and international support.