148,000 students affected
Arab families in Erbil protest closure of schools under Iraqi education ministry
ERBIL — The families of students attending schools operated by the Iraqi Ministry of Education in Erbil protested on Wednesday against a decision to close its facilities along with the federal government’s move to shut down displacement camps in the Kurdistan Region.
These schools currently serve both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other Arab Iraqis residing in the Kurdistan Region.
The Iraqi Ministry of Education informed its Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok offices on Feb. 13 that it would be closing its offices in the Kurdistan Region in line with the Council of Ministers’ decision to close all displacement camps by July 30, 2024.
Roughly 148,000 displaced students from various Iraqi governorates are enrolled in the soon-to-be closed schools across the region, located both inside and outside of camps.
Protesting families urged the Iraqi government to reverse the decision, calling it “an injustice to [their] children.” Parents now face the dilemma of enrolling their students in expensive private schools or relocating, after having established lives and homes in Erbil for over a decade.
One parent emphasized the families’ dilemma, stating, “We live here with our homes and children. We have nowhere else to go.”