ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish education official in Kirkuk on Thursday said that despite ongoing problems of school shortages and deteriorating buildings, more than 850 students have transferred from Arabic to Kurdish education in the province this year.
“This year, nearly 850 students who have transferred from Arabic to Kurdish education have been enrolled [in Kurdish education schools],” Kamaran Ali, head of Kirkuk’s Kurdish education administration, told Rudaw.
He added that over 8,000 students have also enrolled in the first grade of Kurdish primary schools this year, an increase compared to last year. He did not provide exact figures from 2023.
Ali said the Iraqi government has “systematically” marginalized Kurdish education in Kirkuk and other disputed areas since October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control of the province following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
Officials in Kikruk have repeatedly voiced concerns over the negligence of Kurdish education in the province, citing inadequate government support and challenges that leave Kurdish students at a disadvantage compared to their peers in the diverse city.
Ali detailed that more than 100 Kurdish schools in Kirkuk require renovation, with over 40 schools operating on three shifts and a handful running on four shifts.
“We have more than five or six schools that are no longer suitable for educational use. We have evacuated them, and they need to be renovated,” he said.
Sunday marks the start of the new school year for public schools in both the Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk. There are more than 100,000 Kurdish education students in Kirkuk, studying in 557 schools taught by over 8,500 teachers.