Iraq extends school dropout campaign for further five years ahead of conference tackling issue

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani approved a five-year extension of the national campaign to combat school dropout rates, a top education adviser confirmed Tuesday. The initiative, launched in partnership with UNICEF, has already returned 261,000 students to classrooms nationwide.

Adnan Al-Sarraj, an adviser to the prime minister on education affairs, told state channel Al-Iraqiya TV, “The campaign to address the school dropout crisis will continue for the next five years following the approval of Prime Minister Al-Sudani. This decision reflects the government’s commitment to tackling the issue head-on.”

The announcement comes ahead of Wednesday’s national conference on addressing school dropouts. The conference will feature dozens of research papers analyzing the causes of school dropouts and proposing solutions to mitigate the crisis.

A specialized committee, formed under the prime minister’s directives, is leading efforts to reduce dropout rates, with a focus on liberated governorates most affected by the ISIS occupation. “We held meetings with governors, education directors, and relevant officials in these areas to ensure the campaign effectively addresses the specific needs of each region,” Al-Sarraj added.

Initially launched in Nineveh, the campaign has expanded to other governorates facing high dropout rates. While the initial target was to reintegrate 156,000 students, the program has far exceeded expectations by bringing more than 261,000 children back to school.

UNICEF has played a key role in the effort, providing reports on the root causes of student dropouts and organizing training sessions for nearly 3,000 education workers across Baghdad and other regions.

Al-Sarraj noted that the dropout crisis was largely fueled by the devastation wrought by ISIS, which led to widespread violence, displacement and infrastructure damage. “The group’s brutality not only caused physical harm but also left a deep psychological impact on communities, particularly affecting students’ ability to continue their education,” he said.