American International School rejected demands to close down: the school is now closed. Erbil, Kurdistan

The American International School of Kurdistan (AIS-K) in Erbil rejects KRG's ministry of education demands to close down the school, stating that the KRG claims are fraudulent and the issue is personal.

(*Note* The American International School of Kurdistan Erbil was eventually closed later, after a pad-lock was administered on its front gates by Kurdistan law enforcement. The title of the article incorrectly used the word "claims" instead of "demands.")

Republished from KNN News 02:02 - 11/09/2018:

https://www.knnc.net/en/Details.aspx?jimare=685

The American International School of Kurdistan (AIS-K) in Erbil, Northern Iraq sticks out to the bustling public that traverses Gulan and Bakhtiari streets. Recently, Rudaw published an article declaring the school closed by the Ministry of Education, though the publication unexplainably was retracted days later.

(Original article- https://www.rudaw.net/english/lifestyle/28082018 and screenshot of cached version- https://ibb.co/cQAgX9)?

Rudaw journalists Chris Johannes and Ayoub Nouri would not provide a reason when contacted.

?The article highlighted that the school s curriculum is unacceptable and its diplomas are no longer approved by the Ministry of Education. The principal, Aveen Hawrami, stated the issue is "personal." However,?it s?not. Whether the Ministry of Education hates the school or not is insignificant, the facts below will remain the same regardless.?

An article on the AIS-K in the Kurdish Globe dated March 2012, cites inappropriate facilities, lack of student textbooks, no adherence to American educational standards, and over-charging students who erroneously believe the US Consulate Erbil is affiliated with it. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/School+struggles+to+meet+American+standards.-a0283490397

Six years after the Kurdish Globe publication, today the AIS-K still persists in maintaining dilapidated and dirty facilities. Students complain of no soccer field and that the library is a household closet. One AIS-K student reported, “The school has old screws sticking out of desks....classrooms are connected to abandoned bedrooms and bathrooms. You can tell the school was a motel."?

There are still no student textbooks for courses and the school has no ESL (English as a Second Language) diagnostics test?prior?admission, nor is there an ESL department. Students with weak English just fail without any help, one anonymous student reported. A teacher at UKH (University of Kurdistan Hawler) remarked in disbelief, "If American students at American high schools need textbooks, how can we expect students whose native language is not English, to do without textbooks?"??

Fraudulent Claims

The principal persistently claims, tacitly in public and explicitly in private to students and parents, the US Consulate Erbil is ‘affiliated with the AIS-K. Rudaw even quoted Aveen Hawrami stating “the US Consulate Erbil is part of the negotiations” to prevent the closure of the school by the Ministry. This is a lie. The AIS-K is ‘not affiliated with the US Consulate Erbil, despite the principal's claims or her many invitations to Consulate staff to visit the school. An e-mail from Thomas?Sherear, Director of the State Department s Overseas Schools, on March 14, has finally resolved this mystery.??

There are also other false claims by the school such as teaching American standards. On its website under the section “Curriculums,” the AIS-K claims, "AIS-Kurdistan follows a strict guideline by using the ‘latest American Curriculum that is supported and supervised directly by Birmingham Public School in Michigan."?It s?another lie.?An e-mail on March 29 by Anne at Birmingham Public School stressed, "We do not support or supervise them in any way." Finally, the school is also not accredited by any organization, like Advanced-Ed accredits the British International School of Kurdistan, which explains another reason the Ministry and universities abroad have problems with it.?

It is also important to highlight that the AIS-K s website claims it “only employs qualified teachers from the USA." Students state this is another lie. The majority of its teachers are not US passport holders. Lastly, Ms. Hawrami stated that “we (AIS-K) also have branches in the US, Canada, and some other countries in the Middle East.” This is yet again, another lie. (The AIS-K website here) https://ais-k.org/??

Current Problems

In addition to fraudulent claims by the school and the Ministry of Education s concern over integrity, there are reports of serious issues which should concern the average parent. One of the largest transparent conundrums endemic at the?AIS-K,?is a lack of professionalism. The school last year in September publicly lambasted?the Ministry of Education on its Facebook page,?

"AIS has decided to take legal action...We challenge the ministry of education of KRG to prove all documentation against us when we have all documentation proving their own corruptions against AIS due to being belonged to the United States Government System..."

The school has erased this post, but many AIS-K students and Ministry employees recollect it.?(Screenshot of Facebook post)?https://ibb.co/f7Ggw7?

Mr. Barzo Faysal Shakir of the Ministry of Education has asserted there are many schools in Kurdistan that are American. It's not a personal issue with the principal or the American system. It's an issue pertaining to years of numerous outrageous complaints against the "problematic" school and with its lack of accreditation and curriculum authenticity. “This year, there are 23 schools in the Kurdistan Region, of which 19 are international and backed by scientific institutions...We have been for years informing the school to submit scientific accreditation obtained from a known institution. The school has not yet submitted this to us,” he said. It is important to add that if AIS-K rectifies this, the average time for ascertaining or renewing accreditation for a school, is from one to two years.?

Other problems with the school entail the school unfairly manipulating test points for students who attend Consulate lectures, like YouTube videos, and travel to the frontline of war zones with weapons. Other parents complain of waiting an excessive amount of time outside the AIS-K s front gate. One mother was threatened with the expulsion of her two children unless she wrote an apology letter for screaming for entry at the locked?gate,?after her son?feinted?in the school's bathroom. Students and teachers and parents have also reported incidents of humiliating abuse by the principal.

One teacher reported being wrongfully terminated for submitting a complaint to the Ministry of Education that he was coerced to falsify grades. He stated the Asaysh were sent after him when he filed a civil suit against the school. Other common complaints are the principal s gossamer favoritism toward students of wealthy and affluent parents, security being assaulted by students without punishment, guns being brought upon the school's campus, uncontrolled bullying at the school, and certain students passing the semesters despite failing courses. An anonymous student of the Barzani tribe stated,?“"Aveen needs money from me to pass...Aveen said if you did not show your parents your marks, I can change them."

Despite the Ministry of Education demanding the closure of the school on June 26 to maintain the integrity of Kurdistan's education system and Rule of Law, Ms. Hawrami persists in allocating guilt toward "personal issues" instead of addressing the real ones above. Parents, teachers?and?students claim the school remains open today because of?wasta?(wasta?is a term meaning corrupt connections to political figures).

In consequence, the school will continue to earn an income remaining open, while potential future AIS-K graduates will face a blemished and possibly irreparable future. Graduates of AIS-K currently face difficulties with acceptance at universities abroad and within Kurdistan. One student, Sherkho Kamal, stated, "Last year, my sister graduated from this school. But no university gave her a place to study.” Worse though, the youth are possibly being taught by the school that wasta is acceptable in Kurdistan.?