Iraq's education meltdown: Pennies for professionals

Shafaq News/ Every morning before sunrise, Um Rukaya (pseudonym) leaves her home in Babil province and embarks on a long journey to the rural school where she teaches. The bus fare alone costs her 10,000 Iraqi dinars a day—nearly all of her monthly salary of 300,000 dinars (about $230) disappears just to cover transportation.

By the time she returns home, exhausted, she wonders how she will afford food, rent, or even the simplest necessities. Like many newly hired contract teachers in Iraq, she is trapped in a cycle of financial hardship, earning wages that barely sustain her, let alone allow her to build a stable future.

The struggles of teachers like Um Rukaya highlight a growing crisis in Iraq’s education sector. Newly appointed contract teachers, particularly those assigned to rural areas, are finding it nearly impossible to make ends meet. Despite their vital role in shaping the country’s future, their salaries remain disproportionately low compared to the rising cost of living.

Calls for salary increases have gained traction among lawmakers, but so far, no concrete solutions have been implemented.

The issue has drawn attention from members of parliament, including Joad Al-Ghazali of the Parliamentary Education Committee. He described teachers as a critical workforce essential to Iraq’s development and urged both the central and local governments to take immediate action.

According to Al-Ghazali, newly hired teachers earn around 300,000 dinars per month, an amount that is also offered to recent hires under the food security program. However, none of these teachers have been granted permanent positions, and many struggle with wages that do not exceed 600,000 dinars ($459.3). Those working in remote villages face an even greater challenge, as transportation costs eat away at their already meager earnings.

For some, the financial strain has become unbearable. Al-Ghazali recounted the story of a highly educated teacher with a master’s degree who abandoned the profession altogether, taking up manual labor and municipal work to survive. Many others are considering the same path, despite their passion for teaching. The government, however, attributes the low salaries to revenue shortages, leaving thousands of young educators uncertain about their future.

Increasing funding for the Ministry of Education is seen as a key step toward resolving this crisis. Mahasen Hamdoun, a member of the Parliamentary Financial Committee, believed that a salary increase for teachers could be achieved through higher financial allocations in the education budget. However, with the 2025 budget still pending submission to parliament, no immediate relief is in sight. “Once reviewed, lawmakers will assess whether the government has the financial capacity to raise teachers' salaries while maintaining overall fiscal stability.”

The delay in budget approval only deepens the frustration among teachers. The 2025 budget is expected to reach parliament after Eid al-Fitr, but no official date has been set. Meanwhile, attempts by Shafaq News to obtain a statement from the Ministry of Education yielded little response. Ministry spokesperson Karim Al-Sayed simply stated that salary levels are not determined by the ministry itself.

Despite these ongoing struggles, the government has made promises to support educators. Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani recently reiterated his commitment to the education sector, announcing plans to distribute 10,000 residential plots to teachers as part of a broader initiative to allocate 44,000 plots in Al-Muthanna province. However, many teachers remain skeptical, pointing out that similar promises have been made in the past without being fulfilled.

Beyond low salaries, Iraq’s education sector suffers from chronic underfunding. A May 2024 report by Education International revealed that only 5.7% of the federal budget is allocated to education. This underinvestment has led to overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings, and a lack of basic teaching resources, making the job even more challenging for those who remain in the profession.

The financial struggles of teachers are tied to Iraq’s broader economic challenges. The country’s fiscal system relies heavily on oil revenues, which account for nearly 90% of state income. This dependency makes salary payments unpredictable, especially when oil prices fluctuate or political instability disrupts government operations.

Salary distribution issues have also been particularly severe in the Kurdistan Region, where budget disputes between Baghdad and Erbil have caused frequent delays in payments. These disputes have fueled widespread protests, with teachers in cities like Al-Sulaymaniyah staging sit-ins outside the United Nations headquarters. Their demands included immediate salary payments, overdue job promotions, and long-term reforms to prevent future delays.