Website from Global Leadership Course: Global Issue : Mobile Education Pods
Global Communications Project: Mobile Education Pods
Iraq has experienced a rich tradition of education. Iraq was seen as a global leader in education until 1963, when the Ba’ath party took control of the country. Prior to 1963, Iraq’s literacy rates were competitive with more developed countries around the world. The rise of Ba’ath party leader Saddam Hussein in 1979 divided Iraq and the Middle East region. Iraq and Iran engaged in a lengthy war that culminated in the United States invading Iraq and overthrowing Hussein. Iraq was left divided, and the Sunni and Sha’i Muslim ideological differences surfaced (Wenger, 2016). This division created the opportunity for many areas of Iraq to fall under the control of the radical militant group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).
The destabilization of Iraq coupled with political instability has caused literacy rates to plummet. Most adult and non-formal education programmes have stopped, and today illiteracy is widespread with almost 30 percent of the rural population unable to read or write. In Iraq, an estimated five million people are illiterate; this includes 14 percent of school age children currently out-of-school as they have no access to suitable schooling or are obliged to contribute to household income. Overall, 22 percent of the adult population has never attended school, and only nine percent of adults have completed secondary education. Significant gender disparities are also a matter of concern with illiteracy rates reaching higher than 47 percent among women in some areas (Literacy and Non-Formal Education in Iraq, 2017).
EDU Game Changers has developed a solution that will serve the citizens of Iraq regardless of region and sociocultural differences. Mobile Education Pods are the answer to curbing the literacy issues in Iraq. EDU Game Changers has developed the Mobile Education Pods as well as a initiation, implementation , and communication plan to support the initiative. The process of initiation, according to Fullan (2015), essentially means agreeing to collaborate and act upon an idea of innovation. Since the risk of continued political instability potentially prevents continued educational program oversight (Velloso de Santisteban, 2005) by any one person as a department head, an educational coalition is recommended. Made of multiple regional representatives, this coalition would be accessible to local educators and would allow for collaboration in designing the mobile pods to promote shared ownership, networking, and brainstorming. These representatives would also know their own area’s needs, and would be simultaneously able to address local literacy needs, provide career training, strengthen teachers, and still find common solutions to allow for implementation across regions as needed. Because there is such a widespread problem with literacy for both adults and children, and because there is a need to improve educator skill-sets, it is recommended the coalition initially agree to develop a few pods, such as one or two for each representative’s region, in order to brainstorm needed curriculum standards. Then, the process could be refined during implementation and expanded to include more comprehensive pods per region, or even specific-purpose pods distributed across each region, during the later institutionalization phase.
EDU Game Changers will work directly with the education coalition, teachers, and learners of the various regions of Iraq to ensure that the Mobile Education Pods are installed and effectively serving the unique needs of the diverse regions of Iraq. EDu Game changers will communicate with the regional coalition, teachers, and learners with sensitivity and respect for local cultural, economic, and political dimensions. Through collaboration of the EDU Game Changers expert staff and the Iraqi regional coalition a strategic plan will be developed to ensure the elevation of literacy rates across the nation.EDU Game Changers will also provide a continuous review process that will monitor progress and adjust where needed to create continuous growth.
EDU Game changers will continuously work toward solving the decline of literacy in Iraq. Through the implementation of mobile education pods and a communication plan that respects the social dimensions of the diverse Iraqi population, EDU Game Changers will provide a foundational education to ensure all Iraqis are literate and ready to compete in a global marketplace.
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The Iraq Education Coalition is committed to Mobile Education Pods for special students in need of literacy and Career skills development. The purpose of the framework is to provide a country-wide comprehensive model for Mobile Education Pods to ensure that all student needs are met. Implementing a comprehensive Mobile Education Pods model sets the framework for consistent instruction embedded with evidence-based practices and accountability.
Mobile Education Pods (MEP) are expected to meet the various needs of children and adults throughout Iraq. In a survey conducted by Prusty (2009), researchers found that increasing literacy resulted in a reduction of poverty. As such, these pods are designed to serve a multitude of purposes in order to serve various populations. These pods allow participants to have access to resources and materials to build literacy, gain employable skills, and meet basic needs. In addition, these pods will become a hub in which current and future educators can develop skills to increase knowledge and capacity.