Shafaq News- Baghdad
Foreign online education platforms have generatedmore than 30 trillion Iraqi dinars ($23B) from Iraqi students over the pastfive years, lawmaker Amer Abdul Jabbar claimed on Sunday, calling for measuresto reduce costs and keep education-related spending inside the country.
Abdul Jabbar, a member of the Al-Faw ZakhoCoalition, estimated that non-Iraqi educational platforms collect around 6trillion dinars ($4.6B) annually from sixth preparatory grade students alone,excluding revenues generated from third intermediate students.
Based on documents shared by the lawmaker, 126educational platforms have been established since 2020, with most operatingfrom outside Iraq, including Jordan. The “Abwab” platform is considered one ofthe largest among them.
Warning that students’ personal data could betransferred outside Iraq, Abdul Jabbar called on the Ministry of Education toestablish an official online education platform with affordable subscriptionfees. He added that revenues could be directed toward the ministry’s budget andused to support school construction projects, including replacing mud-built andprefabricated schools.
The recommendations also called for coordinationbetween the Ministry of Education and security authorities to regulate foreigneducation platforms and restrict those that fail to comply with Iraq’s academicand financial regulations.
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