ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iraqi government on Friday announced the completion of the construction of 670 schools out of 1,000 across Iraq, with the remaining ones scheduled to be finished by the end of this year, as part of a government plan to improve and build a viable educational infrastructure.

The foundation stone of the major project undertaken by the Chinese state-owned company PowerChina was laid in June 2022 under the leadership of former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

The KRG’s education, which at the time said it needed 150 schools, strongly criticized the Iraqi government for excluding the Region from the nationwide project and its share, expressing “dissatisfaction with the decision to cut off the share of the Kurdish people.” 

An Iraqi government official on Friday said improving the education sector was one of the government’s top priorities.

The Iraqi government “has achieved tangible progress in school building projects, which is one of the most important priorities of the government in its government program,” Iraqi state media (INA) quoted Haider Majeed, Iraq government media spokesperson, as saying. 

Majeed added the finished projects include “four different models and three capacities; 12, 18, and 24 classroom schools.”

The Council of Ministers will “continue "its periodic follow-up of the work stages through its field visits to the various work sites, in addition to the ongoing meetings with the two Chinese companies implementing the project.”

He described the nationwide government plan as an achievement “significantly contributing to ending the issue of caravan schools and double and triple shifts."

Over 12 million students returned to classrooms across Iraq at the end of September, including 1.2 million new students.

Overcrowding has been seen as a key issue gripping students, with some classes consisting of over 30 students, and in some places over 40.

Some school buildings across Iraq are in bad shape and need renovation, with students in several provinces studying in buildings that have been made of mud or have no doors and windows.