Universities in Iraq taking a hard hit

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Even before bombings at a university Tuesday killed at least 65 people, Iraq's higher-education system was on the verge of collapse, officials said.

Faced with the lingering war and unrelenting sectarian violence, students by the thousands have been leaving campuses to return home or enroll at universities in other countries. In the past year alone, university enrollments have fallen by more than half at some schools, officials said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi professors continue to be targeted for assassination and intimidation. According to Iraq's higher-education ministry, insurgent and militia groups have murdered at least 280 academics since 2003, and an additional 3,250 have fled the country.

Tuesday night, Mustansiriya University officials said they would close the campus for at least two days. The decision follows a similar one last month by Baghdad University's main campus, which was forced to close twice for five days after threats, according to students and professors.

Iraq's modern higher-education system, once considered the most advanced in the Middle East, dates to 1957, but today only 11 percent of Iraqis ages 15 and older have studied beyond secondary school, according to a 2004 study.

Those still pursuing degrees are taking measures to guarantee their safety, notably transferring to schools near home. Last month, determined students seeking transfers crowded the ministry.

The administrative-affairs office at Baghdad University earlier this month said enrollment at the school's main campus in the southern Jadiriyah section of the capital was down as much as 40 percent. At the Adhamiya campus, enrollment has dropped more than half.

College tuition at private schools in Iraq runs between 150,000 and 400,000 Iraqi dinars — the equivalent of about $114 to $305 — per year. Tuition is free at the 20 government-run public universities, including Baghdad University, and 47 technical institutes.

College instructors here make the equivalent of $1,000 to $1,500 per year and those still teaching — like the students — are taking extreme measures.

Nihad Al-Rawi, 54, an assistant dean and professor of electrical engineering at Baghdad University, has stashed a firearm in his office.

"I don't want to use it, but what am I supposed to do if someone breaks into my office and tries to kidnap me? It's a fact of life here nobody can deny," Al-Rawi said.