Kirkuk's Kurdish teachers protest delayed salaries
Shafaq News – Kirkuk
Kurdish school teachers in Kirkuk will boycott the start of the new academic year, protesting unpaid salaries and limited support from both Baghdad and Erbil.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Mohammed Jalil, representative of Kurdish schools teachers in Kirkuk, noted that the salaries remain unpaid, while retirees have not received accumulated payments for more than a year, urging the authorities to address the issue promptly.
He warned that demonstrations could extend to Baghdad and influence positions in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“Our demands are limited to our legitimate rights, namely receiving our salaries,” Jalil added.
Kirkuk hosts a diverse population of Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. Schools in the city largely reflect these divisions: Arab students attend institutions administered by Baghdad, where staff receive federal salaries, while Kurdish students go to schools managed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), whose teachers rely on KRG funds.
Kurdish language instruction is a central feature of the city’s education system, serving tens of thousands of students across hundreds of schools. The sector, however, has repeatedly faced salary disruptions.
Kurdistan is facing worsening salary crisis, as some public sector wages from December 2024 remain unpaid. The dispute stems from political tensions between the KRG in Erbil and the Federal Government in Baghdad.
Read More: Kurdistan's unpaid wages: A crisis of trust andfederalism
