Iraq vs Sri Lanka
Side-by-side comparison of how these places approach childhood.
Iraq
Iraqi children in the Kurdistan region learn in three languages simultaneously.
Kurdish, Arabic, and English instruction creates trilingual children navigating multiple cultural identities.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has provided free education from kindergarten through university since 1945.
This early commitment to universal education gave Sri Lanka a 92% literacy rate, the highest in South Asia.
Iraq
Iraq's 6-3-3 system is recovering from decades of conflict. The Kurdistan Region operates a semi-autonomous system. Many schools run double or triple shifts to accommodate students. Over 8,000 schools need rehabilitation.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka provides entirely free education from primary through university, including free textbooks and uniforms. The 5-4-2-2 system operates in Sinhala and Tamil medium schools. A highly competitive grade 5 scholarship exam determines entry to prestigious schools.
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