At a Glance

• More than 1.75 million students have started the 2026–2027 academic year across the Kurdistan Region.
• More than 137,000 tenured and contract teachers are working across 7,590 schools.
• The Ministry of Education has updated 110 textbooks and printed 19 million copies.
• Thirty-two new school buildings have opened for the new academic year.

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The 2026–2027 academic year has officially begun across the Kurdistan Region, with more than 1.75 million students returning to classrooms as schools introduce updated curricula, new textbooks, and newly opened facilities.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Students and schools: More than 1.75 million students have returned to 7,590 schools, including more than 123,000 first-grade students.
• Updated curricula: The Ministry of Education has revised 110 textbooks for the 2026–2027 academic year, covering education from Grade 1 of basic education through Grade 11 of secondary school.

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The official school bell has marked the start of the 2026–2027 academic year for students across the Kurdistan Region. Student enrollment includes approximately 500,000 students in Erbil, more than 410,000 in Slemani, 426,000 in Duhok, and 28,000 in Halabja.

The new academic calendar follows a five-day school week divided into two main terms, with 72 instructional days scheduled for the first term. Educational operations are underway with 107,000 tenured teachers, 30,090 contract teachers, and 31,000 administrative staff.

The Ministry of Education has also opened 32 new school buildings and provided 250 supply container units for the new academic year. The book revisions include the Grade 1 Kurdish alphabet primer, mathematics for Grades 4, 5, and 6, Kurdish language and general science for Grade 6, and information technology for Grades 7 and 8.

General science textbooks for Grades 8 and 9 have also been revised, alongside new mathematics curricula for Grade 11 scientific and literary tracks and a new chemistry curriculum for the Grade 11 scientific track.

Approximately 19 million textbook copies have been printed and delivered to educational warehouses for distribution to schools. The revised materials were produced in five languages and dialects: Kurdish in the Soranî and Badînî dialects, Arabic, English, Syriac, and Turkmen.

The start of the academic year comes alongside continuing challenges in the education sector. These include recurring salary delays, the lack of recruitment for new graduates, and unresolved tenure conversions for more than 30,000 contract teachers. School building shortages also continue to contribute to overcrowded classrooms, with hundreds of schools operating on double and triple shifts.

FYI

The 2026–2027 academic year marks the beginning of a new school cycle across the Kurdistan Region, with updated curricula and newly opened schools introduced alongside ongoing administrative and financial challenges.

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