School year delayed three weeks in federal Iraq

BAGHDAD — The Education Ministry has put back the start of the school year in federal Iraq by three weeks to Oct. 11, while schools in the Kurdistan Region open on Sept. 20 as planned.

The delay will let schools finish second-round examinations for students who have not completed them and prepare for the new year, the ministry said in a document that also cited high temperatures. Spokesperson Karim al-Sayyid confirmed the date.

More than 12 million pupils and students attend schools in federal Iraq. Baghdad is forecast at 42°C this week and Basra at 45°C, while Erbil is at 39°C and Duhok and Sulaymaniyah at 36°C.

The KRG Education Ministry approved its calendar on Sept. 10, with around 1.8 million students returning across the Region last year, including 143,000 starting first grade, taught by 161,522 teachers in 7,567 schools. Its last academic year was disrupted in March when the KRG suspended in-person teaching at institutions under both its education ministries and moved instruction online during the regional conflict.