The Iraqi Education Initiation was announced by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki May 11th. It would send 10,000 high school graduates a year to study abroad — for the next five years. The students would go to the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, with the bulk of them headed here. After their studies they would be required to return home. Iraq once claimed the best education system in the Middle East but it's been declining for the past 30 years. And Iraq has been bleeding human capital since the Iran-Iraq war.
Candidates for study abroad would be picked from each province to surmount sectarian tensions. The program would pay all expenses for the students, not just for bachelor's or doctorial degrees but also for two-year technical degrees in such careers as lab assistants or administrators.
The cost is estimated at approximately $1 billion a year. It would be paid for from Iraq's oil revenue. Ergo it would not cost the American taxpayer one red cent. The only thing Iraq is asking for from the U.S. government is help with visas.
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Stymie
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