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Displaced Iraqis take final exams amid chaos of war

‘We should not stop teaching and studying because we are displaced,’ says Hamdaniyah University president.

Hamdaniyah University, originally located in Qaraqosh, was later moved to the north of Erbil. 'Once security is established in Qaraqosh, we have to go back,' says university president Muzahim Alkhyatt. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Hamdaniyah University, originally located in Qaraqosh, was later moved to the north of Erbil. 'Once security is established in Qaraqosh, we have to go back,' says university president Muzahim Alkhyatt. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
By 
Jeremy Andre and 
Sebastian Castelier
1 Jul 2016
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Students step out on to the dirt road by their pre-fabricated campus, in the middle of industrial parks, residential buildings and camps for internally displaced Iraqis. Erbil’s skyline fades into the horizon.

“You know the word jihad? It means struggle and strive. All this, it is our jihad,” says Mustafa Hameed at the end of the first day of his final exams, the most important time of the academic year. Hameed, who was born in Baghdad but displaced to Erbil amid the rapid advance of fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), is one of the students at Hamdaniyah University, a new and independent institution that has risen from the ashes of Mosul’s academic system.

“We should not stop teaching and studying because we are displaced,” says university president Muzahim Alkhyatt. “Kurds, Arabs, Yazidis, Sunnis, Shia are living in a peaceful way, as if they were one family. This is the goal of the university. If you think education is only for certain people, you will fail.”

The entrance of Hamdaniyah University is guarded by soldiers with a special division of the Peshmerga. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
The entrance of Hamdaniyah University is guarded by soldiers with a special division of the Peshmerga. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
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At 9am, just before exams begin, students wander around the inner courtyard, restlessly reviewing their notes. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
At 9am, just before exams begin, students wander around the inner courtyard, restlessly reviewing their notes. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Before each exam, all students must turn in their mobile phones to prevent cheating. In one case, administrators found a student wearing a pink smartwatch to which all the relevant textbooks had been uploaded. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Before each exam, all students must turn in their mobile phones to prevent cheating. In one case, administrators found a student wearing a pink smartwatch to which all the relevant textbooks had been uploaded. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
'Academically speaking, we have a good reputation, with a 50 to 60 percent rate of success,' says university vice president Anis Behnam Naoum. But the school faces budgetary issues, with a lack of central government funding. 'We didn’t have enough to pay for the water. Someone gave it to us. We should not accept this. This is a state university.' [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
'Academically speaking, we have a good reputation, with a 50 to 60 percent rate of success,' says university vice president Anis Behnam Naoum. But the school faces budgetary issues, with a lack of central government funding. 'We didn’t have enough to pay for the water. Someone gave it to us. We should not accept this. This is a state university.' [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Of the 1,600 students at Hamdaniyah University, 1,200 are originally from the Hamdaniyah district, east of Mosul, while the rest have been displaced from other universities. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Of the 1,600 students at Hamdaniyah University, 1,200 are originally from the Hamdaniyah district, east of Mosul, while the rest have been displaced from other universities. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Exams this year spanned from mid-May until mid-June. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Exams this year spanned from mid-May until mid-June. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
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Physics student Jalal Fahmi, 25, says he missed a day of exams when he joined the Peshmerga to fight for his home village of Wardak. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Physics student Jalal Fahmi, 25, says he missed a day of exams when he joined the Peshmerga to fight for his home village of Wardak. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Hamdaniyah University students rejoiced after finishing their exams, taking selfies in the courtyard. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Hamdaniyah University students rejoiced after finishing their exams, taking selfies in the courtyard. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
After completing their exams, fourth-year students were able to officially graduate from the university. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
After completing their exams, fourth-year students were able to officially graduate from the university. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Hamdaniyah University plans to open Master’s programmes next year, in an effort to retain its most talented students. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Hamdaniyah University plans to open Master’s programmes next year, in an effort to retain its most talented students. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
After exams ended, Fahmi returned to his village of Wardak, travelling along a road that cut through trenches and around red flags warning of landmines. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
After exams ended, Fahmi returned to his village of Wardak, travelling along a road that cut through trenches and around red flags warning of landmines. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
'Hello! ISIS?' Fahmi jokes at the entrance to one room of his house in Wardak, where 21 members of his family used to live. The house is still standing but it is a mess, covered in junk and graffiti. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
'Hello! ISIS?' Fahmi jokes at the entrance to one room of his house in Wardak, where 21 members of his family used to live. The house is still standing but it is a mess, covered in junk and graffiti. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
In Fahmi's uncle's reception room faces on images of Caliph Ali have been smashed. Two traps with improvised explosive devices were discovered in the houses of his family members. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
In Fahmi's uncle's reception room faces on images of Caliph Ali have been smashed. Two traps with improvised explosive devices were discovered in the houses of his family members. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Wardak's secondary school, which Fahmi previously attended, has been turned into a Peshmerga headquarters. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]
Wardak's secondary school, which Fahmi previously attended, has been turned into a Peshmerga headquarters. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]

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