Iraqi federal court upholds closure of educational offices in Kurdistan

BAGHDAD — The Federal Court of Iraq today upheld the government’s decision to close the educational representations of the Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan Region governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk. This decision follows the court’s rejection of a lawsuit filed by Rafid Nasir Abdul Karim against the Iraqi prime minister and the federal minister of education. The court’s ruling affims the government’s plan to dissolve these offices by July 30, 2024, impacting around 150,000 students who are residents of these areas.

Simultaneously, protests erupted in front of the Iraqi Ministry of Education’s representation in Erbil, marking the second such demonstration at this location. Students and their families gathered to express their opposition to the government’s decision to close these educational offices across the Kurdistan Region. Protesters stressed their desire to remain in the region, citing their established lives and opposition to being relocated.

Protesters communicated to 964media, “We have no life back in our original cities, and we live here without problems. This is a political issue; we are not refugees but citizens here, so we don’t want to be forced to leave.”

These educational offices currently serve both internally displaced persons and other Arab Iraqis residing in the Kurdistan Region. The closure of these facilities aligns with the Council of Ministers’ decision also to close all displacement camps in the Kurdistan Region by the same date.

The protesting families previously gathered on Feb. 22, 2024, against both the educational office closures and the broader federal government’s move to shut down displacement camps. Parents are now faced with the dilemma of enrolling their students in expensive private schools or relocating after having established lives and homes in Erbil for over a decade. They urge the Iraqi government to reverse the decision, calling it “an injustice to children”