Arabic only: Baghdad blocks Kurdish language in some universities
Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education has barred the use of Kurdish in university instruction and exams across several northern provinces, mandating Arabic as the sole language of academic delivery.
An official document dated July 15 cites Ministerial Order No. 14994, issued in September 2023, and reflects recommendations previously approved by Education Minister Ibrahim Namis al-Jubouri.
All classroom teaching and test materials must be conducted in Arabic, according to the directive, which excludes Kurdish from use in higher education, particularly in Nineveh, Kirkuk, and Diyala—provinces with large Kurdish populations where the language remains widely spoken.
Institutions that violate the order face legal consequences, the order warned.
Although Kurdish holds official status under Article 4 of Iraq's constitution, its role in federal education remains limited. Critics argue the decision further marginalizes Kurds in federal institutions, undermining constitutional protections and deepening the educational divide between Baghdad-administered areas and the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
By contrast, Kurdish serves as the primary medium of education in the Kurdistan Region. Local institutions, led by the Kurdish Academy in Erbil, have worked to bridge dialectal divides —chiefly between Sorani and Kurmanji—but progress is hampered by political fragmentation and the absence of a standardized script.
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