A snowplow clears accumulated snow from a roadway in the Soran area as part of winter road maintenance operations.
Cold snap halts classes across part of the Kurdistan Region
ERBIL — Education authorities announced school closures and schedule changes across several districts on Sunday after freezing temperatures, frost and icy conditions affected parts of the Kurdistan Region.
Ahmed Hamad Amin, spokesperson for the Soran Education Directorate, told 964media, “All educational centers in the Soran autonomous administration are closed tomorrow.”
He said schools in the Sidakan district and villages within Khalifan and the surrounding areas of Mergasor were also closed, adding that education directorates were authorized to suspend classes wherever necessary.
Regarding Mergasor district, the Soran education spokesperson said closures applied to all areas except the district center and the subdistricts of Goretou, Barzan and Mazne.
Separately, Ahmed Mohammed, director of education in Choman, told 964media that “all schools in Smilan are closed,” along with schools in the Haji Omaran subdistrict and mixed-level schools, including primary schools in the Qasri subdistrict.
In Rawanduz, education director Chnor Mazhar told 964media it was “not yet clear where classes will be suspended,” but said all school administrations had been instructed to close if conditions required.
In Sharazoor district, part of the Sulaymaniyah governorate, the Education Directorate announced a delay rather than a closure. Director Nabil Hamsalih Aziz said authorities decided to postpone the start of classes by one hour due to subzero morning temperatures.
“For public safety and after coordination with the General Directorate of Education in Sulaymaniyah and the district administration, we decided to delay the start of classes by one hour,” Aziz said. He added that on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 4 and 5, morning classes would begin at 9 a.m., while afternoon schedules would remain unchanged.