School left without enough classrooms as photos emerge of classes held outdoors

DIYALA — Images showing students at Ajeel al-Wafaa Intermediate School in Mandali sitting on concrete blocks under direct sunlight have reignited anger over chronic classroom shortages, with teachers saying they have taught in an open yard for years because the school simply does not have enough rooms for its 330 students.

Photos taken Sunday in the village of al-Saada in the Neda area show a teacher standing in front of a makeshift board fixed to a brick wall, with students arranged on blocks purchased by staff themselves. With only six classrooms for seven teaching sections, the school has been forced to run lessons outdoors in harsh heat — and soon, in winter rain.

Principal Sidqi Suleiman told 964media that the situation “is not new,” saying the school has operated this way “for more than five years without any real improvement.” He said lawmakers, Diyala governorate council members and the governor have repeatedly been contacted but “all the promises remained ink on paper.”

Teachers had pooled their own money to buy concrete blocks and a makeshift board, but Suleiman said the effort eventually stopped as they could not sustain the cost. Building proper classrooms requires funding the school does not have.

He said the problem becomes worse during the rainy season when students cannot remain outside and there are no covered spaces to hold lessons. “Despite the conditions, teachers and students continue their lessons,” he said, calling the scenes a reality that needs urgent intervention.

Mandali district administrator Ali Dhamad said officials have raised the issue for years but projects “remained election promises without implementation.” He said no meaningful attention has been given to schools or state offices in Mandali, and that residents deserve basic conditions that allow students to learn and staff to work.

Across Iraq, schools face deteriorating buildings, overcrowded classrooms and double- or triple-shift schedules. Many lack clean water, functioning bathrooms or reliable electricity, leaving teachers and students in difficult conditions even before outdoor teaching becomes necessary.