The decree was issued following a trilateral meeting between the prime minister’s office, the public service council, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The statement added that the names of those included in the decision will be forwarded to the education ministry next week.
Other cohorts of top graduates will receive employment in the coming days, according to the ministry.
Unemployment is one of the biggest obstacles facing especially young people in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, leading thousands to leave the country every year in search of better opportunities often risking illegal and hazardous routes.
The Iraqi finance ministry announced last year that it completed procedures to permanently appoint over 376,000 non-contract employees, including nearly 290,000 non-contract teachers and administrators.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed said in May they had asked Baghdad to provide funding to offer permanent employment to non-contract educators, a demand of striking teachers.
The commencement of the 2023-2024 academic year was delayed for over four months in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, and the administrations of Garmiyan, Raparin, and Koya, where teachers went on strike over unpaid wages.
The protesters demanded the KRG pay their salaries on time, provide promotions where due, and offer contracts to non-contract teachers.
