Kurdish schools spared closure in Iraq’s Khanaqin

Shafaq News- Khanaqin

Iraq’s Education Ministry approved exempting Kurdish-language schools in Khanaqin district, Diyala province, from merger or closure decisions, MP Sarwa Mohammed Rashid stated on Thursday.

Rashid described the exception as a measure to protect Khanaqin’s constitutional rights and political status as an area covered by Article 140 of Iraq’s constitution. The issue of the Kurdish Studies Department at Diyala’s General Directorate of Education had also been resolved, with the department set to receive greater attention to support Kurdish-language education in the province.

The decision followed repeated demands from educational and political figures in Khanaqin to keep Kurdish-language schools outside merger measures, citing their role in protecting students’ language rights.

Iraq’s constitution recognizes Arabic and Kurdish as official languages and guarantees education in mother tongues in government institutions. Article 140 covers disputed areas, including territories such as Khanaqin.

Read more: Forgotten language: Kurdish sidelined in Iraqi curriculum