Send In the Professors
I spent one of the most difficult nights of my childhood in Baghdad worrying that I was failing two of my classes. What kept me awake was the fear of having to tell my mother, whose emphasis on doing well in school reflected generations of faith in learning.
Iraq once boasted one of the most advanced systems of higher education in the Middle East. But that system now lies in shambles. More than 400 professors have been assassinated. Universities have been devastated by bombs, looting and neglect. My sister’s office at the University of Baghdad was burned in an attack that forced her to join the thousands of academics who have fled their posts or their country.… Seguir leyendo »