'Mesopotamia' [‎25v] (50/152)

40
PRESENT CONDITIONS • [No .92
institutions, where instruction was given free of
charge. There were also a primary and a secondary
military school at Baghdad, and industrial schools
at Baghdad and Basra. The Da'irat es-Saniyeh main
tained primary schools on some of the rural estates
under its control.
Religious schools were maintained by the Shiahs at
Kerbela, where the Sunnis also had one school. At
Baghdad the Jewish, Chaldean, Syrian, and Armenian
communities each had a school; in that of the Jews
English and French were taught, and the general in
struction was said to be excellent. There was also
a Jewish school at Basra for boys and girls.
The Carmelites, and the nuns who worked in asso
ciation with them, had several boys' and girls' schools
in Irak. These schools were under French protection ;
and the instruction was in Arabic and French, with a
little English. En 1906 the German Consul at Bagh
dad offered to subsidise liberally the Carmelite schools
in the country if they would undertake to teach
German. The French Dominicans and nuns at Mosul
conducted over a dozen schools in the neighbourhood
for boys and girls, and carried on educational work
among the Chaldeans and other IJniates. A school
for boys and girls was maintained by the Americans at
Basra; there were also American schools in northern
Mesopotamia. The Church Missionary Society had
schools at Baghdad and at Mosul.
In spite of this provision for education, it appears to
be generally admitted that Moslem instruction in Meso
potamia has been negligible, and has been restricted
almost entirely to the official classes. The education
provided by French, English, and American schools has
affected only a small proportion of the town popula
tions; and the people as a whole, including all the
nomad tribes, are entirely illiterate. The Trade Com
missioners reported in 1917 that education was the
great need of the country. During the present British
occupation thirteen Government primary schools, four
municipal State-aided schools, a teachers' training