'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎264v] (531/862)

ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC LIFE
404
girls, though compulsion cannot be generally applied because of the
lack of schools outside the larger villages. But the network of govern
ment primary schools is becoming more dense and in 1940 averaged
42 in each province except Basra (m) and Baghdad (117)-
Above the primary schools there are intermediate schools, for the
first stage in secondary education, and secondary schools proper.
The Ottoman administration had endowed Iraq with not more than
three of these, and they are still relatively few in number and are
practically confined to the capitals of provinces. In 1940-1941 they
accommodated 12,000 (intermediate) and 2,000 (secondary) pupils,
only a small percentage of those attending primary schools, and were
staffed by somewhat over 330 intermediate and 100 secondary
teachers. But the advance in numbers, equipment, and standards
since 1918 is remarkable. There are also 10 technical and vocational
schools, including teachers’ training colleges. The following table
summarizes the school situation in 1940-1941.
Schools
Attendance
Type
Boys'
Girls'
Boys
Girls
Primary—Government
Private
559
97
196
64,015
23,587
26,792
Intermediate
26
16
9,667
2,223
Secondary .
Teachers’ Training
. 12
4
2
1,821
2,116
279
Engineering
. 1
87
Technical School
1
178
Home Arts
1
109
Nursing School .
1
84
Midwifery .
1
G
Health Service
. 1
65
Apart from the modern primary schools, governmental and private,
there are numerous Islamic schools, maqtabs, kept by the mullas.
These mulla schools, which are the only schools normally found in
the smaller villages (p. 338), teach reading, writing, and religion only;
the pupils are not separated into classes and are usually Moslems.
In government schools the language of teaching is Arabic in Arab
areas, Kurdish in Kurdish areas, and in special minority areas
Syriac and Turki. In non-government schools, which are usually
provided by the religious communities, the language of instruction
is in the above four tongues and also in Persian, Hebrew, and Ar
menian, and in French in some classes of the Roman Catholic mission
schools.
Syllabus of Subjects. The normal school course is divided into
Primary, Intermediate, and Secondary. In all three cases the courses