A scene of a previous protest of teachers in Sulaymaniyah. (Photo: 964media)
Ongoing salary delays
Teachers threaten boycott of second semester in Kurdistan Region
KURDISTAN REGION — The second semester of the academic year is set to begin on Sunday in the Kurdistan Region, but widespread dissatisfaction among teachers and staff over unpaid salaries may disrupt the reopening.
According to Saywan Faraj, an official from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Education, classes are scheduled to resume following the completion of first-semester exams and the subsequent holiday period. The 2025 academic calendar indicates that first-semester exams took place from Jan. 8 to Jan. 18, with students on break from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25.
However, many teachers have announced plans to boycott classes due to ongoing salary problems. In a statement released by the Defending Committee of Dissatisfied Teachers and Employees, members cited nonpayment of December 2024 and January 2025 salaries as the reason for their action. They said they will not attend work in educational institutions starting Sunday unless their demands, particularly the release of overdue salaries, are met.
Several major issues between Erbil and Baghdad remain unresolved, including delayed payment of the December 2024 salaries for public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region and the suspension of the region’s oil exports since March 2023.
On Jan. 11, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Council of Ministers held a meeting in Erbil with Kurdish parliamentary bloc leaders in Baghdad and Kurdish officials in the Iraqi government.
During the meeting, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said, “Kurdistan people must be freed from this psychologically distressing situation,” adding, “The relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq must be rectified.”