Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani delivered good news to 43 students in the Region on Friday. His letter congratulated them on achieving the highest scores in their 12th grade examinations.

“I send my appreciation and recognition of your resilient family and teachers, and I highly value their efforts and dedication, and I wish you great success in your future, to serve Kurdistan,” read the personal letters from PM Barzani, which were delivered to the top scoring students ahead of the announcement of the final scores.

#Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour #Barzani congratulates the top students in 12th grade exams in personal letters. This is his letter for the top student.

"Dear Dima Hiwa Ali, I congratulate you in scoring the highest in 12th grade exams. Through you, I send my… pic.twitter.com/XpbZGFpIXo

— The New Region (@thenewregion) July 19, 2024

The Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed announced the results of the 12th grade examination for the 2023-2024 academic year on Friday evening.

The Prime Minister’s protocol team delivered congratulatory letters and bouquets of flowers to the 43 top scoring students in the Region hours ahead of the announcement.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) holds a ceremony each year to honor the students who gain the highest marks in their 12th grade examinations, an examination that decides their academic futures and their eligibility for university degrees.

The PM’s letters of congratulations were delivered to a number of the students by the head of the Office of Initiatives and Communications (OIC). For the students, this was the first they had heard of their success.

Families of the students celebrated after a year of hard work, not just for those taking the exams, but also for those supporting them. 

“We thank him, we expect nothing less, when you lead a country. This is how you should communicate with the successful students of your country,” one father said upon hearing the news that his son was among the top scoring students.

Speaking to The New Region, several students recalled the dedication it has taken to reach this milestone.

“Most of the time I was studying, I was trying to master my subjects,” one student said.

“I would study at least 10 hours a day,” another student said.

“I am happy that they've recognized the students who scored high and personally delivered a message to them,” Dima Hiwa, who obtained the highest score in the scientific branch, told The New Region after receiving the letter from PM Barzani.

According to the final scores, of the 43 top scoring students, 24 were based in Sulaimani province, nine in Erbil, three in Duhok, two in Halabja, two in Garmian administration, and three in Raparin administration.

The examination process this year saw a record-low academic dishonesty.

According to Minister Hama Saeed, this year only 51 cases of cheating were recorded in comparison to last year’s 250 cases, a 79.6 percent decrease in the rate.

Hama Saeed praised mechanisms by security services and technical teams of the ministry for the decrease, making the Kurdistan Region’s examination process exemplary in the Middle East.