Bilkent Group Brings International Education to Northern Iraq

There will soon be another school associated with the Turkish Bilkent group of schools, this time in the historical city of Erbil, Northern Iraq. The school, Bilkent International College Erbil, will serve a community blessed by rich history and a unique multicultural makeup.

One of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, Erbil is situated in Northern Mesopotamia, now known as Northern Iraq. In recent years and in the midst of blanket perceptions of nationwide insecurity, it has not been widely noticed, outside Iraq, that the city of Erbil is both stable and prosperous. Northern Iraq was spared both the brunt of the war that started in 2003 and the insurgency that followed it.

The region has consistently been described, including by the UK Foreign Office, as markedly and statistically safer than the rest of the country (and the latter’s security appears to be steadily improving). At the beginning of June 2009, the prosperous, individual character of the region was underscored by the export of its own crude oil, piped via Turkey to European markets. Access to the region does not require a visa, and is easily achieved by air from Istanbul, Vienna or Dubai.

Erbil is a distinctly Middle-Eastern city, with a traditional-looking center comprising old houses, an ancient citadel, a bazaar, and artisanal shops. In contrast to the old center, the rest of the city is being transformed through extremely rapid development. The electric pace of this investment and building is leading to the construction of housing, shopping centers, hotels, schools and universities on a major scale.

Whereas 90 years ago the population of the city was housed within the citadel, it now approaches the one million-mark. Erbil is becoming widely perceived as a region ripe for development, and new foreign representations seem to be opening every month.

In this dynamic, renascent region, there is an acute need for high-quality education. Even though it was spared the physical impact of the recent war, Erbil has suffered the economic effects of years of sanctions and the destruction of the national infrastructure.

Currently under construction as a purpose-built facility on a prime, Foundation-owned site at the edge of the city center, Bilkent International College Erbil (BICE) will open in fall 2010. Initially a primary school with some 160 students, it will grow into a K-12 school by 2017, when its projected enrollment will be just over 1,000. In due course, BICE will apply for authorization of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. Secondary education will culminate in the teaching of International Baccalaureate Diploma courses.

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