Dimensions:

Iraq is a country of multi-cultures, nationalities, religions, doctrines, traditions, customs, arts and music, whose rights are guaranteed by the Iraqi Constitution issued 2005 (Iraqi 2018 Report). EDU Game Changers will preserve the cultural heritage of all Iraqis. Regardless of the region of intervention, we will partner with the coalition representative to ensue all religious traditions are recognized. Furthermore, educational access will be equitable to Iraqis of all religious affiliations, gender, or race.

Economic policy priorities in Iraq include reining in fiscal spending, curbing corruption, improving fiscal management, and strengthening the financial sector. Diversification, key to Iraq’s long-term economic development, will require a strengthened investment climate to bolster private-sector engagement, which in turn will require improving the security environment and restoring the rule of law (2019 Index of Economic Freedom). EDU Game Changers will strive to meet the needs of the diverse regional economic conditions. Students will have their basic needs met with culturally appropriate meals. Additionally, students will be taught skills needed to diversify the Iraqi workforce and accelerate overall economic growth of the nation.

Iraq has been ravaged in recent years by cycles of warfare, an internally displaced persons (IDPs) crisis, crippling sectarianism and, most destructively, a three-year campaign to drive ISIS from the third of the country it controlled. Even after the military defeat of ISIS, Iraq continues to face severe challenges including resolving the political, sectarian, and tribal conflicts that fueled the spread of extremism and its entanglement in regional rivalries (United States Institute of Peace Fact Sheet). Understanding the regional needs of Iraq is key to the overall success of education reform in Iraq. EDU Game Changers will support a coalition of regional stakeholders who will determine the educational needs of their constituents. The mobile education pods will be configured to accommodate the needs of the regions based on need.

Historically Iraq has experience social tension that has created a barrier against cohesion and widened the disparities between citizens. Sunnis and Shia has long battled over how Iraq, and Islam for that matter, should be governed. Islam, the most observed religion, has many levels of devotion and interpretation of the Quran furthering the conflict in Iraq. Destabilization has also left a void which has opened opportunities for terrorist groups to thrive. Iraq experiences water shortages and electricity cuts which further fuel the social instability. EDU Game Changers will continue to be a part of the solution and increase literacy rates in Iraq.