Ali Zuweid's Political Programme
Proposed bill · Education, Scientific Research, Culture, Youth and Sport
Student Grants, Assistance, Loans and Equal Educational Opportunities Law
Executive Summary
Iraq has two separate student grant laws: the Public Iraqi University and Institute Student Grant Law No. (63) of 2012 and the Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014. They were designed to reduce poverty's effect on students' continued attendance, but their structure is no longer sufficient to build a modern equal opportunities system. Higher education grant instructions issued in 2018 defined low income by a fixed household income threshold of 150 thousand dinars per month, which automatically becomes outdated as prices and incomes change. The budget law for 2023–2025 also effectively linked payment of both grants to students from households covered by the social protection network, indicating a more recent shift towards social targeting.
In 2026 the Council of Representatives continued to monitor educational grant payments to students from households covered by social protection. Higher education also offers exemptions and reductions for social groups and a free scholarship admission channel for medical disciplines at private universities and colleges. However, these instruments operate through separate channels. No single law determines when a grant is a needs-based entitlement, how accommodation, transport and equipment costs are covered, when loans may be used, or how poor students are protected against accumulating debt.
The bill unifies general rules and replaces the two older laws after a transition period without interrupting payments to beneficiaries. It adopts an ‘educational eligibility score’ instead of a fixed income threshold, drawing on social protection, income, household size, disability, orphanhood, displacement, geographical remoteness, accommodation and transport data. Households covered by social protection automatically enter the eligibility pathway, but poor students who are not registered are not barred from applying.
The law regulates a package of support: school grants, university maintenance grants, transport, accommodation, supplies and assistive technology assistance, digital support and school meals where needed, emergency assistance, exemptions from fees that may lawfully be charged, merit scholarships and scholarships for groups with less access. Overseas government scholarships and fellowships remain under their own system.
Student loans are a supplementary instrument, not a substitute for grants or free public education. They are designed to carry no interest for the student and require no personal guarantor or mortgage over the family home. Repayment starts after graduation or withdrawal and after income exceeds a subsistence protection threshold, and is automatically suspended during unemployment or reduced income. Debt is discharged on death and may be discharged for permanent total disability. Imprisonment or a travel ban may not be imposed solely for civil inability to repay.
Financially, the bill avoids new fixed amounts that would become outdated after several years. Instead, it requires an annual benefits schedule linked to inflation, the poverty line and educational costs, with a rule preventing reductions in the nominal basic grant except by law. It also requires loan guarantee costs and credit losses to appear in the budget rather than remain hidden outside public accounts.
Current Constitutional and Legal Context
The Iraqi Constitution guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination based on economic or social status. Article (34) establishes education as a state-guaranteed right and provides for free education at its various stages as regulated by law. Equal educational opportunities therefore cannot be achieved merely by opening a school or university if transport, accommodation or supplies remain an effective barrier for the poorest households.
At school level, the Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014 was enacted. On enactment, it established monthly grants of 30 thousand dinars for primary education and 50 thousand dinars for intermediate and preparatory education, for nine months, and regulated suspension for failure, absence or expulsion. At public university and institute level, Law No. (63) of 2012 provides grants of 100 thousand dinars for undergraduate and technical diploma students and 150 thousand dinars for postgraduate students, subject to income, attendance and restrictions on combining certain allowances.
Instructions No. (70) of 2018 revealed a clear legislative problem in the eligibility criterion: they defined a low-income student by a fixed household income threshold of 150 thousand dinars per month. Such thresholds lose meaning over time unless linked to an official index. The general budget law for 2023–2025 subsequently directed payments to students and pupils from households covered by the social protection network, at the amounts set by the two laws. This represented a practical shift towards targeting through a social database that can be updated more readily.
Higher education has other instruments beyond the two laws: fee reductions for some social welfare beneficiaries and students with disabilities in fee-paying programmes, the free scholarship channel for medical disciplines in private education, and overseas government scholarships, fellowships and financial assistance regulated by Regulation No. (3) of 2018. Multiple instruments are useful, but require common rules to prevent duplication and ensure that the students most in need do not fall between systems.
UNESCO's updated 2026 assessment indicates that the National Education Strategy 2022–2031 seeks to expand scholarships for disadvantaged groups in higher education. However, equity-based support has not yet developed into a comprehensive, stand-alone programme covering living, transport, accommodation and book costs nationally. This is the gap the bill addresses.
The Legislative Gap
First — Monetary obsolescence: Older laws rely on fixed amounts or income thresholds. An amount representing ‘low income’ in 2018 cannot serve as a permanent criterion, and grants themselves lose real value through inflation unless reviewed regularly.
Second — Fragmentation: School grants, university grants, social welfare, fee exemptions, free scholarships and emergency university assistance operate separately. Students have no unified support file, and the state cannot readily identify the total support they receive or any remaining gap.
Third — A narrow concept of support: The two laws focus on monthly cash, while the actual barrier may be transport from a distant village, university accommodation, an assistive device for a student with a disability, a computer needed for study, or an emergency threatening withdrawal.
Fourth — Suspension conditions: Automatic suspension for failure or a specified absence rate may penalise a student facing illness, displacement, transport problems or a family crisis, although the grant's original purpose is to prevent dropout. The bill retains a continuation requirement but replaces mechanical suspension with examination of the cause, a warning and a support plan.
Fifth — No social loan system: There is no clear national legislative framework for subsidised, income-based student loans. If financing needs are left entirely to the market, loans become costly and require guarantors or collateral that poor students cannot provide. The bill therefore establishes a limited, protected model that does not displace grants.
Sixth — The data and equity gap: Support cannot be assessed for fairness without knowing its distribution by governorate, sex, disability, rural location and income. The law requires public indicators while protecting privacy, making equity measurable rather than merely declaratory.
Proposed Legislative Policy
- A unified law: Integrate the legislative rationale of school and university grants into a single support system with a transition protecting current beneficiaries.
- Dynamic targeting: Replace fixed income thresholds with an eligibility score linked to the poverty line, income, household size and educational costs.
- Grants before loans: The poorest students receive non-repayable support first and are not pushed into borrowing to cover basic needs.
- Multiple support instruments: Cash, transport, accommodation, equipment, disability accommodations, food, exemptions and emergency support, followed by supplementary loans where needed.
- Updatable value: An annual benefits schedule prevents amounts becoming outdated and places financial responsibility before the budget process.
- No new authority: A national budget programme and coordination committee, implemented through existing ministries, banks and institutions.
- Less data and fewer documents: Direct government verification of social protection, income and enrolment, instead of repeated visits to government offices.
- Effective grievance procedures: A reasoned decision, an objection before a body independent of the original decision, and then the right to judicial recourse.
Text of the Bill
In the name of the people
Presidency of the Republic
On the basis of what the Council of Representatives has approved and the President of the Republic has ratified, and pursuant to the Constitution, the following law is enacted:
Student Grants, Assistance, Loans and Equal Educational Opportunities Law
Chapter One — General Provisions
Article (1) — Definitions
For the purposes of this Law, the following expressions have the meanings set out below. First — Student support: grants, cash or in-kind assistance, exemptions, reductions, educational loans and services intended to remove financial or social barriers to entering, continuing and succeeding in education. Second — Needs-based grant: non-repayable support allocated according to the economic and social circumstances of the student and their household. Third — Merit scholarship: non-repayable support allocated under published criteria for academic, artistic or research excellence. Fourth — Emergency assistance: short-term support addressing an unexpected circumstance that threatens a student's continued education. Fifth — Student loan: repayable financing on social terms for approved educational purposes, which is not a substitute for constitutionally and legally guaranteed free public education. Sixth — Educational eligibility score: a composite indicator assessing the ability of the student and their household to bear educational and study-related living costs, based on income, household size, social protection, disability, orphanhood, displacement, geographical remoteness, accommodation and transport costs and other factors specified by regulation. Seventh — Educational institution: a legally recognised school, institute, college, university or vocational and technical education and training institution. Eighth — Student: an Iraqi learner enrolled in an educational institution covered by this Law, including pupils and trainees where the context requires. Ninth — Register: the National Student Support Register. Tenth — Competent authority: the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, or the government body legally supervising the educational programme.
Article (2) — Objectives
This Law aims to prevent poverty and indirect costs from depriving students of education; unify general rules for school and university student grants and modernise targeting instead of fixed monetary income thresholds that become outdated; build a support system combining grants, assistance, services and supplementary loans; ensure equal opportunities across governorates and social groups; protect students' educational rights during crises; improve transparency in support distribution and payment speed; direct support towards those facing a genuine financing gap; and link support to continuation and graduation indicators without penalising those facing circumstances beyond their control.
Article (3) — Scope
This Law applies to students in public general education and public higher education; private and foreign education to the extent that a student receives public support, a subsidised loan or a grant under this Law; and recognised vocational and technical education and training institutions. Regional powers shall be respected. Arrangements may be made for data exchange, recognition of support and student mobility without prejudice to constitutional powers.
Article (4) — System principles
The student support system is based on priority for actual need, non-discrimination, transparent criteria, verifiability, prevention of unlawful duplication, stable support throughout the academic year, conditions proportionate to the objective, avoidance of student debt that could be replaced by a grant due, protection of children and personal data, accessibility for persons with disabilities, financial accountability and periodic review of benefits' real value.
Article (5) — Free public education
No provision of this Law shall be interpreted as permitting tuition fees for public education that the Constitution or law provides free of charge. Student loans shall not be used as a pretext to replace public financing of free education. Loans may cover study-related living costs or programmes for which fees may lawfully be charged, subject to this Law.
Article (6) — Equal opportunities
Competent authorities shall ensure that household financial capacity does not prevent an academically qualified student from enrolling or continuing. Additional resources shall target cases showing a greater gap between study costs and resources available to the student, taking account of geographical disparities and higher transport, accommodation and assistive technology costs.
Article (7) — Non-discrimination
Discrimination in awarding or prioritising support on grounds of sex, ethnicity, religion, sect, disability, social origin, lawful political opinion, trade union affiliation or locality is prohibited. Targeted corrective measures may be adopted for groups with less access to education where supported by data and intended to achieve substantive equality of opportunity.
Article (8) — Support does not confer admission rights
Financial support eligibility does not confer a right to admission to a discipline or institution contrary to admission rules, capacity and academic standards. Ability to pay fees or obtain a loan shall likewise not circumvent admission requirements.
Article (9) — Protection of acquired rights
This Law shall not reduce, during the current academic year, the entitlement of a student who lawfully obtained a grant, exemption or reduction before its entry into force. Transition rules shall prevent interruption of support during study solely because the system changes.
Article (10) — Periodic review
The support system, amounts and criteria shall be reviewed at least once every two years, taking account of changes in supplies, transport and accommodation prices, inflation, the poverty line, geographical distribution and the state's financial capacity. Review findings and their underlying grounds shall be published.
Chapter Two — National Governance and Support Administration
Article (11) — National Student Support Programme
A unified national programme called the ‘National Programme for Student Support and Equal Educational Opportunities’ shall be established within the general budget. The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate its financing, and the Ministries of Education and of Higher Education and Scientific Research and other competent authorities shall implement it within their respective powers. The programme shall have no separate legal personality and shall not create a parallel administrative apparatus.
Article (12) — Student Support Coordination Committee
A Council of Ministers decision shall establish a national student support coordination committee, chaired by a Ministry of Finance representative and including representatives of Education, Higher Education, Planning, Labour and Social Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Central Bank and relevant bodies. It shall harmonise financial standards and data, prevent duplication and prepare annual proposals for amounts and ceilings.
Article (13) — Ministry of Education responsibilities
The Ministry of Education shall administer grants and assistance for pupils and school students, link them to enrolment, attendance, progression and dropout data, develop secure payment methods for households or students according to age, and administer in-kind assistance, transport and school meals when adopted within the programme.
Article (14) — Ministry of Higher Education responsibilities
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research shall administer grants and assistance for university, institute and technical education students, regulate exemptions, reductions and emergency assistance, administer the university support register, and coordinate with the Scholarships and Cultural Relations Department on overseas scholarships governed by the Government Scholarships, Fellowships and Financial Assistance Regulation.
Article (15) — Labour and Social Protection responsibilities
Within their legal powers, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Social Protection Authority shall verify households' social protection coverage, registered income and vulnerability data needed for targeting. They shall provide electronic verification interfaces to educational authorities so students are not asked for documents that government can verify directly.
Article (16) — Ministry of Planning responsibilities
The Ministry of Planning shall establish methods for measuring the poverty line, educational costs and geographical indicators, participate in designing the educational eligibility score and evaluating support's effect on dropout, enrolment and continuation, and publish periodic analysis of gaps between governorates and groups.
Article (17) — Ministry of Finance responsibilities
The Ministry of Finance shall estimate annual costs, allocate appropriations, regulate accounting, disbursement and transfers between support budget lines within budget limits, monitor loan commitments, government guarantees and credit risks, and explicitly include them in financial documents.
Article (18) — Central Bank role
In coordination with the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank shall regulate bank participation in student lending and digital payments and set consumer protection, disclosure, payment security and hidden-fee prevention requirements. It shall not assume a financial obligation for the state except under a legal provision or duly funded agreement.
Article (19) — Educational institutions
Every educational institution shall maintain a student support contact point, publish rights, deadlines and channels, help students apply and lodge grievances, and provide accurate enrolment and continuation data. Institutions shall not charge for applications for public grants or assistance.
Article (20) — Coordination with governorates
Governorates not incorporated into a region shall participate in identifying transport, accommodation and educational service gaps that increase educational costs. They may fund supplementary support programmes from their appropriations under national programme criteria, without creating discriminatory or parallel eligibility rules.
Chapter Three — Eligibility and Targeting
Article (21) — Educational eligibility score
Needs-based grants shall use a unified, auditable national educational eligibility score combining household income and size, number of dependent students, housing, distance from the institution, disability, orphanhood, displacement, social protection and study-related health and technological needs. Regulations shall specify weights and calculation methods and prohibit absolute reliance on a single factor.
Article (22) — Automatic recognition of need
A student from a household receiving social protection assistance shall be provisionally eligible for the needs-based support pathway, subject to verification of enrolment and absence of a legal impediment. The student shall not have to re-prove income already held by another government body unless there is a material data discrepancy.
Article (23) — Unregistered poverty
Poor students not registered with the social protection network shall not be barred from applying. Need may be established through income, employment, housing, basic asset, household size and other data under a unified methodology. Households shall be referred for social protection assessment where its conditions are met.
Article (24) — Irregular income
Where a household depends on daily or seasonal work or irregular income, an annual average or appropriate reference period shall be used. Stable income shall not be presumed merely from having an occupation. The methodology shall account for job loss or sudden income reduction.
Article (25) — Number of students in the household
Eligibility calculations shall account for the number of children or dependants in education and the costs of different stages. A household supporting several students shall not be treated like a household with the same income supporting one student.
Article (26) — Disability
Reasonable disability-related costs, including accessible transport, assistive devices, an interpreter or support person and accessible materials, shall be added to the eligibility assessment. Disability benefits shall not count as income reducing educational support where allocated for a different purpose.
Article (27) — Orphanhood and loss of a breadwinner
An orphaned student, a student who has lost a breadwinner or whose breadwinner can no longer earn shall receive assistance priority according to the effect on actual resources. Emergency assistance may follow a fast-track procedure before all verification is complete.
Article (28) — Displacement, return and unstable housing
Displacement, return, temporary accommodation and loss of documents or property shall be considered factors that may increase educational costs and impede proof of income. Authorities shall provide alternative identity and eligibility verification methods under applicable laws.
Article (29) — Geographical remoteness
Distance, absence of an equivalent educational institution locally, and transport or accommodation costs shall inform needs assessment. Students from rural or remote areas shall not be treated as though an institution were available near their home.
Article (30) — Health circumstances
Necessary health expenditure reducing disposable household income may be taken into account where substantiated and material, without collecting health data beyond what eligibility determination requires.
Article (31) — Changed circumstances
Students may request recalculation of eligibility during the year following a breadwinner's death, job loss, displacement, disaster, a substantial accommodation cost increase or a similar circumstance, without waiting for the next academic year.
Article (32) — Asset verification
Property, vehicle and economic activity data may verify financial capacity. However, a student shall not be automatically excluded because of a non-income-producing asset, the primary family home or an essential work tool, except under published, proportionate rules.
Article (33) — Preventing duplicate entitlement
Different types of support may be combined where their purposes differ, such as a grant with a disability allowance or accommodation assistance. Two grants shall not be received for the same cost where their total exceeds it. Electronic coordination shall prevent duplication while preserving legitimate supplementary support.
Article (34) — Proof of eligibility
Electronic verification against government databases shall take priority, with the fewest possible documents requested from students. Local attestations, guarantees or evidence not prescribed by regulation shall not be required where the information is government-held.
Chapter Four — School Education Grants and Assistance
Article (35) — Basic school grant
A monthly grant shall be paid during study months to eligible pupils and students in public schools and other schools legally covered. Its value shall be set annually in the benefits schedule by educational stage, educational cost index, poverty line and financial capacity. On initial implementation, its nominal value shall not be below amounts legally in force before this Law takes effect.
Article (36) — Payment period
The school grant shall be paid for actual study months for no less than the period prescribed by the law in force when this Law is issued. A supplies component may be paid before the academic year begins where provided in the benefits schedule.
Article (37) — Attendance and continuation
Continued grants shall depend on enrolment and reasonable regular attendance. They shall not be suspended for absence justified by health, family or security reasons, or school or transport disruption. Before suspension, households must be notified and allowed to explain and address the problem.
Article (38) — Academic failure
A single failure shall not automatically terminate a grant if the student remains regularly enrolled and continued support is more likely to prevent dropout. Suspension may follow repeated failure coupled with unjustified disengagement, after a social assessment and follow-up plan. This rule shall not deprive a child in compulsory education of basic support.
Article (39) — Supplies assistance
The programme may provide an allowance or in-kind package for supplies, uniforms, stationery and digital materials according to need. The choice between cash and in-kind support shall reflect costs and accessibility, not unnecessary supply contracts.
Article (40) — Transport support
School transport or a transport allowance may be funded for students in areas lacking a nearby school or safe public transport, prioritising rural and remote areas and students with disabilities. Eligibility shall depend on distance and available alternatives.
Article (41) — School meals
A school meals programme may be integrated with student support in areas or schools with higher poverty or malnutrition indicators. It shall follow nutritional and health standards and transparent procurement. Meals shall not replace cash grants where households need both for different purposes.
Article (42) — Digital support
A device, internet connection or digital content may be provided to a student unable to afford it where necessary for learning. Priority shall reflect curriculum requirements and available home alternatives, with mechanisms preventing unlawful resale without holding households liable for ordinary damage.
Article (43) — Emergency school assistance
A rapid assistance channel shall serve students facing an immediate dropout risk because of housing loss, a breadwinner's death, fire, disaster, displacement or similar circumstances. A provisional payment may precede full assessment, subject to later reconciliation.
Article (44) — Schools shall not bear payment administration costs
Schools shall not manually administer grant cash unless alternatives are unavailable. Digital or bank payments or government payment channels shall reduce loss and delay risks, with an accessible alternative for those without an account or telephone.
Chapter Five — Support for Higher and Technical Education Students
Article (45) — University maintenance grant
A maintenance grant shall be paid to eligible students in public daytime study and covered technical education programmes. Its value shall be set annually according to study-related living costs, the poverty line and inflation. Students in other programmes may be included where fees or the nature of study do not make support unjustified, within budget limits.
Article (46) — Postgraduate studies
Postgraduate students who are not employed or do not receive an equivalent allowance or grant may receive needs-based support where a financing gap is established, taking account of full-time commitments, research and the normal programme duration. Two full government grants for the same purpose shall not be combined.
Article (47) — Student accommodation
A student from a governorate or area where their discipline is unavailable shall receive priority for student residences under published criteria. Accommodation fees may be waived or reduced, or a limited accommodation allowance provided where no place is available, according to eligibility scores and appropriations.
Article (48) — University transport
A transport allowance, public transport pass or transport service may be provided to students in need, taking account of distance, alternative costs, disability and study schedules. No allowance shall be allocated where funded student accommodation removes the need, unless a different need is demonstrated.
Article (49) — Books, equipment and software
Books, equipment, software and personal laboratory tools required for study may be funded for students unable to afford them. Institutional purchasing or collective licensing shall be preferred where cheaper, while preserving students' freedom to choose an equivalent alternative where support is paid in cash.
Article (50) — Emergency university assistance
Universities shall establish an emergency assistance channel, financed from approved appropriations and legally permitted own-source resources, for cases where unexpected circumstances threaten withdrawal. Decisions shall be made promptly and be subject to grievance procedures.
Article (51) — Evening and fee-paying programme students
Reductions or assistance may be granted to students in evening or fee-paying programmes who come from households in need, have disabilities or fall within specified social circumstances. This does not confer a right to circumvent admission requirements or established fee ceilings.
Article (52) — Students in private education
Support may be portable to a recognised private institution where the programme so provides and its cost is justified compared with public alternatives, provided the institution does not impose undisclosed additional fees or raise fees because the student receives support.
Article (53) — Institutional contributions to scholarships
Within private education rules and proportionately, the Ministry of Higher Education may require a private institution to contribute to scholarships or fee reductions benefiting from a public support programme. Contributions shall reflect discipline, revenue and capacity, without confiscation or discrimination between institutions.
Article (54) — Continuation of grants
A university grant shall not be suspended merely because grades decline in one semester if the student is still passing or has documented circumstances. Continuation may depend on reasonable academic progress, with a warning and support plan before suspension in remediable cases.
Article (55) — Deferral
Periodic payments shall stop during voluntary study deferral and resume on return within the normal programme duration. Medical or compulsory deferral shall not be treated as default or a permanent ground for loss of eligibility.
Article (56) — Clinical and field training
Limited additional support may be provided where studies require compulsory clinical or field training away from the institution and substantial transport or accommodation costs arise that no other body covers. Rules shall be programme-specific.
Article (57) — Non-financial support services
Financial assistance shall complement academic, psychological and career guidance and disability support services. Receiving a financial grant shall not be conditional on undergoing psychological services or disclosing sensitive information unless that service is itself the subject of the request.
Chapter Six — Scholarships, Exemptions and Reductions
Article (58) — Needs-based grants
Needs-based grants shall be awarded according to the educational eligibility score and may cover all or part of fees lawfully chargeable or living and educational costs. They shall be non-repayable unless deliberate eligibility fraud is established.
Article (59) — Merit scholarships
Scholarships for academic or artistic excellence, innovation or research may be established under published, measurable criteria. Where candidates are equally ranked, the greater need shall take priority. Merit scholarships shall not become a channel for favouritism or non-objective preference.
Article (60) — Scholarships for groups with less access
Competitive scholarships may target groups shown by data to be under-represented or at greater risk of withdrawal, including rural and remote populations, displaced persons, persons with disabilities and students from low-income households. The need for the measure shall be reviewed periodically.
Article (61) — Free scholarships in private education
Free scholarship channels in private universities and colleges, including medical or other programmes, may continue or be developed through transparent selection combining academic thresholds and need where support is allocated to achieve equal opportunities. Places, rules and results shall be published while protecting personal data.
Article (62) — Fee exemptions
Eligible students may receive full or partial exemptions from tuition, accommodation or service fees that may lawfully be charged. Exemption percentages shall reflect need, programme type and cost. Institutions shall not recover an exemption from the student under another label.
Article (63) — Institutional and private sector scholarships
Institutions, companies and individuals may fund scholarships through universities or the national programme, provided their conditions are published and contain no unlawful discrimination, forced labour obligation, restriction on academic freedom or power for the funder to alter assessment results.
Article (64) — Overseas scholarships
Overseas government scholarships, fellowships and financial assistance shall continue under their own regulations and applicable legislation. This Law's principles of transparency, equal opportunities and non-discrimination apply to publicly funded scholarships, subject to lawful donor conditions.
Article (65) — Prohibition of scholarship charges
Intermediaries or institutions shall not charge students a commission for public scholarships or entry into a scholarship competition. Administrative charges are permissible only where prescribed by law and independent of eligibility decisions.
Article (66) — Disclosure of scholarship conditions
Before applications close, scholarship announcements must identify the funder, number of places or funding ceiling, eligibility conditions, selection criteria, coverage, duration, grounds for suspension and recovery, and objection mechanism.
Article (67) — Beneficiary obligations
Beneficiaries shall use grants for their designated purpose, provide accurate information and notify the authority of material changes affecting eligibility. Undisclosed obligations, political, partisan or religious loyalty, or personal services to the funder shall not be required.
Article (68) — Recovery in cases of fraud
Amounts obtained through forged information or deliberate concealment of a material fact shall be recovered by reasoned decision after the beneficiary has been heard. Recovery may be by instalments according to financial capacity. Grants shall not be recovered for an administrative error the student did not cause, except to prevent unjust enrichment and without threatening continued education.
Chapter Seven — Student Loans
Article (69) — Nature of student loans
Student loans are supplementary financing after grants and assistance due, and shall be granted for specified educational purposes in recognised programmes. A loan shall not replace a poor student's entitlement to a grant with private debt.
Article (70) — Lenders
Public banks shall provide loans. Licensed private banks may participate under agreements with the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank establishing uniform terms, consumer protection and partial guarantees where needed.
Article (71) — Loan purposes
Loans may cover lawfully chargeable tuition fees, accommodation, necessary equipment and tools, transport, and costs of compulsory training or examinations. They shall not finance consumption unrelated to education.
Article (72) — Eligibility conditions
Borrowers must be adults or legally represented under the law, admitted to a recognised institution and programme, and not already fully funded for the same purpose. They must demonstrate a financing gap after grants and a reasonable household contribution are taken into account.
Article (73) — No guarantor requirement
Subsidised student loans shall require no personal guarantor, mortgage over the family home or real estate security. Decisions shall rest on programme eligibility, identity verification and regulatory conditions. Partial government guarantees shall cover risks within budget limits.
Article (74) — Interest
Subsidised student loans shall carry no interest for students. The budget shall bear subsidy and administration costs within annual limits. Compound charges, interest-based late penalties or undisclosed fees shall not be added.
Article (75) — Loan ceiling
Loan ceilings shall be set annually according to programme type, actual costs and grants received. An aggregate individual ceiling over the educational career may be set. Loans shall not finance fees exceeding legal or approved ceilings.
Article (76) — Disbursement
The fee component may be paid directly to the institution after enrolment verification; living or equipment components shall be paid to students in instalments. Disbursement shall cease for periods without enrolment, except transitional or medical cases allowed by regulation.
Article (77) — Commencement of repayment
Repayment shall not begin earlier than twelve months after graduation or permanent withdrawal, and no instalment is due while the borrower's income is below the repayment threshold. Regulations shall set that threshold at the higher of the minimum wage or a proportion of the individual poverty line, preventing deductions from income insufficient for basic subsistence.
Article (78) — Income-linked repayment
Instalments shall be a percentage of income exceeding the repayment threshold, within a regulatory range, rising progressively with income. Collection from wages or declared income through tax or banking systems may occur lawfully, with a right for borrowers to review the data.
Article (79) — Unemployment periods
Repayment shall automatically be suspended during registered unemployment or when income falls below the threshold, without interest or penalties during suspension. Continued eligibility for suspension may be verified periodically without burdensome procedures.
Article (80) — Self-employment and irregular income
Self-employed borrowers' instalments shall be assessed on declared or substantiated annual income. Annual reconciliation may prevent fixed instalments that ignore income fluctuations. Deliberate evasion or false information shall be punishable under applicable laws.
Article (81) — Early repayment
Borrowers may repay all or part of the balance at any time without early repayment penalties or charges. No discount shall favour financially stronger borrowers at others' expense unless approved within a funded public policy.
Article (82) — Death and total disability
The remaining balance shall be discharged upon the borrower's death and may be discharged wholly or partly for permanent total disability preventing earnings, according to the competent medical body's report. Subsidised student loan debt shall not pass to heirs.
Article (83) — Exceptional hardship
Repayment may be rescheduled or suspended longer for serious illness, exceptional care obligations, disaster or circumstances beyond the borrower's control, by reasoned decision under uniform criteria. Borrowers shall not be imprisoned or subjected to travel bans solely for civil inability to repay.
Article (84) — Duration of obligation
Regulations shall set a reasonable maximum repayment period of at least ten and no more than twenty years according to loan value. A remaining balance may be written off after that maximum for borrowers who complied with disclosure and income-based repayment duties, within an annual budget-approved financial ceiling.
Article (85) — Credit record
A student loan suspended because of low income shall not be recorded as a credit default. Only deliberate non-compliance following verification of ability to pay and notification shall be recorded, with rights to correction and objection under Central Bank rules.
Chapter Eight — Equal Opportunities and Access
Article (86) — Students with disabilities
Assistance shall cover reasonable accommodations, assistive devices and technologies, accessible transport, interpreters or academic support persons where needed. These costs shall not be deducted from the basic maintenance grant where separate from it.
Article (87) — Students in rural and remote areas
Transport, accommodation and digital access assistance shall receive priority where no nearby institution exists. A geographical multiplier may increase support in areas with higher costs or poorer services.
Article (88) — Girls and women
Financial and service measures shall address barriers shown by data to affect girls' and women's continuation, including safe transport, accommodation and maintenance, without lowering academic standards or imposing study pathways based on sex.
Article (89) — Displaced persons and returnees
Evidence requirements shall be eased for displaced persons, returnees and those who have lost documents. Relocation, temporary accommodation or transport support may be provided where displacement directly increases educational costs or withdrawal risk.
Article (90) — Orphans and students from the poorest households
High priority shall go to orphans and students from households in the lowest eligibility strata. A minimum level of support may be guaranteed before funding merit scholarships unrelated to need.
Article (91) — Students with dependants
Account shall be taken of students supporting a child, a person with a disability or a parent without a reasonable alternative care arrangement. Childcare assistance or flexibility in payment or accommodation may be provided under the rules.
Article (92) — Working students
Students shall not be excluded merely because they work if earnings do not cover their educational financing gap. Actual income shall enter the eligibility score, while encouraging part-time work that does not harm academic progress.
Article (93) — Institutional discrimination
Institutions shall not alter fees, accommodation or service conditions because a student receives a grant or subsidised loan, nor deny that student a service available to others for the same reason.
Article (94) — Access to information
All support programmes shall be published on a unified portal accessible to persons with disabilities. Simplified conditions and in-person and telephone assistance shall be available for students unable to use digital services.
Article (95) — Measuring equity
Competent authorities shall annually publish indicators of support distribution by educational stage, governorate, sex, disability, social protection, rural or urban location and income level, as non-identifying statistics measuring resources' reach to target groups.
Chapter Nine — Digital Administration, Grievances and Oversight
Article (96) — National Student Support Register
A unified electronic register shall record support applications, decisions, benefit type, funding source and eligibility duration, linked as necessary to enrolment, social protection and payment data. It shall not be available for commercial use or purposes unrelated to education, support and oversight.
Article (97) — Identity and verification
National identity, study or examination numbers and a unified student identifier shall be used, and duplicate accounts prevented. An alternative route must be provided where documents are lost or electronic matching fails.
Article (98) — Data exchange
Data exchange between authorities shall follow agreements specifying purpose, fields, duration, security and permissions. A complete social file shall not be transferred where a specific verification result suffices for eligibility determination.
Article (99) — Reasoned decisions
Students or guardians shall be notified of acceptance, refusal or priority ranking, the reasons and principal factors affecting the decision. An ‘ineligible’ message without an understandable reason is insufficient.
Article (100) — Objections
Students may object electronically or on paper within thirty days of notification. A committee uninvolved in the original decision shall determine the objection within a further thirty days. Existing support shall continue temporarily where interruption before determination could cause serious educational harm, unless strong suspicion of fraud exists.
Article (101) — Judicial challenge
Administrative objections do not preclude recourse to the competent courts under applicable laws. Loan or grant contracts shall contain no waiver of this right.
Article (102) — Audit
Support programmes shall be subject to Federal Board of Supreme Audit, internal and competent anti-corruption oversight. Eligibility decision-making shall be reasonably separated from disbursement and payment review according to institutional size.
Article (103) — Whistleblower protection
A channel shall enable reporting of list manipulation, bribe requests, sale of scholarships, discrimination or eligibility falsification, respecting whistleblower protection, confidentiality and the subject's right of defence.
Article (104) — Recovery from ineligible recipients
Support paid through fraud or deliberate duplication shall be recovered. Good faith and financial circumstances shall be considered for unintentional errors. Recovery may be by instalments; students shall not be deprived of education as a separate financial penalty.
Chapter Ten — Financing, Transitional and Final Provisions
Article (105) — Funding sources
This Law shall be financed through annual general budget appropriations for the Ministries of Education and of Higher Education and Scientific Research and relevant bodies, own-source resources lawfully allocable to support, duly accepted donations and grants, and voluntary or legally prescribed private sector contributions.
Article (106) — Annual benefits schedule
On a proposal by the Ministries of Finance, Planning, Education and Higher Education, the Council of Ministers shall issue a benefits schedule before the academic year, specifying grant values, assistance and loan ceilings, geographical multipliers and programme costs. If delayed, previous values shall continue until new ones are approved.
Article (107) — No nominal reduction rule
The nominal value of a basic cash grant set in the previous year shall not be reduced except by law or because individual eligibility ceases. Where a grant is not increased, the budget must disclose inflation's effect on its real value.
Article (108) — Cost estimation method
The Ministry of Finance shall prepare an annual cost statement showing expected beneficiaries, average benefit and payment months, exemption costs, loan subsidies, guarantees, expected credit losses and administration costs. Loan guarantees shall not be kept outside the state's financial accounts.
Article (109) — Funding priority
Where appropriations are insufficient, priority shall be basic grants for households most in need, followed by access assistance required because of disability or geographical remoteness, emergency assistance, then other grants and benefits. Basic grants shall not be cut to fund loans or merit awards unrelated to need.
Article (110) — Transitional continuation of previous laws
The Public Iraqi University and Institute Student Grant Law No. (63) of 2012 and its implementing instructions, and the Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014 and its instructions, shall continue during the academic year in which this Law takes effect until beneficiaries enter the new system without interrupted payments.
Article (111) — Repeal and replacement of the two laws
The Public Iraqi University and Institute Student Grant Law No. (63) of 2012 and the Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014 shall be repealed from the beginning of the academic year following completion of the transition announced by the Council of Ministers. Their decisions and instructions shall remain effective insofar as consistent with this Law until replaced.
Article (112) — Relationship with budget and social protection laws
Provisions on educational grants for households covered by social protection in applicable budget laws shall be observed, with their data and allocations integrated into the national programme during transition. Integration shall not deprive a previously covered household without applying this Law's criteria and allowing objection.
Article (113) — Relationship with overseas scholarship regulations
The Government Scholarships, Fellowships and Financial Assistance Regulation No. (3) of 2018 and legislation on overseas government scholarships and grants shall remain effective. This Law applies to equal opportunities, transparency and social support unless a more specific provision exists.
Article (114) — Regulations, instructions and entry into force
The Council of Ministers shall issue necessary regulations within nine months of publication, and competent ministries shall issue implementing instructions within twelve months. The Law takes effect six months after publication in the Official Gazette. Loan provisions shall commence once banking systems and guarantees are ready, no later than eighteen months after entry into force.
Statement of Reasons
This Law is enacted to ensure equal educational opportunities and prevent poverty and indirect costs from causing dropout or denying continued education; modernise school, university and institute student grants and link them to updatable social eligibility criteria; regulate assistance, exemptions and support for transport, accommodation, disability and supplies; establish a controlled social framework for supplementary student loans without affecting free public education; and unify data, oversight and grievance procedures while preventing duplication.
General Explanatory Memorandum
1. Why is repeal and replacement preferable to amending two separate laws?
The two existing laws perform the same function at different educational stages, but each has separate amounts, conditions and procedures. Separate amendment would retain duplicated eligibility, data and objection rules. A unified law states common principles once, then provides specific school and higher education provisions, while each ministry retains implementation responsibility within its remit.
2. Why does the law not fix new amounts?
The fixed income threshold in the 2018 instructions illustrates the problem: the figure becomes outdated while the text remains unchanged. The bill therefore preserves existing nominal amounts during transition to prevent reduced support, but places future valuation in an ‘annual benefits schedule’ that must account for inflation, the poverty line and educational costs. Parliament and government thus remain accountable for annual costs without the law itself requiring amendment whenever prices change.
3. From the protection network to broader educational eligibility
Targeting through the social protection network is practical because it provides a government verification database, as used by the budget law for 2023–2025. However, it is insufficient alone: poor households may not yet have completed registration or may recently have lost income. The bill makes social protection coverage an automatic support pathway while opening a second route to assess actual need outside the network.
4. Why not suspend support automatically after the first failure?
The purpose of a grant is to keep students in education. Where failure results from illness, displacement, poverty or unavoidable work, withdrawing support may turn a setback into permanent dropout. The bill retains accountability, permitting suspension for unjustified absence or persistent difficulty, but requires examination of the cause, a warning and a support plan.
5. Loans are a last resort, not a means of privatising education
The bill's principle is clear: grants meet needs that should not become debt; loans address the remaining gap or costs that may lawfully be financed. It therefore prohibits using loans as a substitute for free public education, rules out personal guarantors and mortgages, and links repayment to income.
6. Why does the law include non-cash support?
A grant may cover stationery but cannot necessarily solve daily travel from a remote area or purchase an assistive device for a student with a disability. The law provides flexible instruments for choosing cash, services or exemptions according to lowest cost and greatest effect, while preventing duplicate assistance for the same purpose.
7. Relationship with private education
The aim is not to transfer private education costs to the budget. Support portable to a private institution is a regulated exception where it enables educational access unavailable through a suitable public alternative, or operates within an approved scholarship channel. In return, institutions must ensure transparent fees and refrain from increasing them for supported students.
8. Geographical equity
Educational costs differ between Baghdad and a village far from a secondary school or university. Distance and transport and accommodation costs therefore form part of eligibility, allowing a geographical multiplier to increase support where access costs more.
Multi-Instrument Support Model
| Instrument | Need addressed | Nature | Use rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic grant | Poverty and daily costs of continued study | Non-repayable | Priority for greatest need |
| Transport/accommodation assistance | Geographical remoteness | Cash or service | According to distance and alternatives |
| Assistive technology | Disability and access | In-kind provision or allowance | Not deducted from the basic grant |
| Emergency assistance | Breadwinner's death, displacement, disaster, housing loss | Short-term payment | Fast-track procedure |
| Exemption and reduction | Fees lawfully chargeable | Cost reduction | According to need and programme type |
| Merit scholarship | Academic or artistic excellence | Non-repayable | Published competitive criteria |
| Student loan | Remaining financing gap | Income-based repayment | After grants and assistance are counted |
Student Loan Model
The proposed loan is not an ordinary consumer loan. The state subsidises its cost and sets social conditions; banks administer disbursement and collection under Central Bank supervision. There is no personal guarantor or mortgage. Repayment begins after a grace period and once income exceeds the threshold. An unemployed graduate therefore does not default merely through the passage of time.
| Issue | Proposed rule |
|---|---|
| Interest | Zero for students; subsidy cost shown in the budget |
| Guarantor and mortgage | No personal guarantor or mortgage over the family home |
| Start of repayment | 12 months after graduation or withdrawal and after exceeding the income threshold |
| Instalment | A progressive percentage of income above the threshold |
| Unemployment | Automatic suspension without penalty |
| Death | Balance discharged and not transferred to heirs |
| Permanent total disability | Full or partial discharge under an official medical report |
| Civil non-payment | No imprisonment or travel ban solely for inability to repay |
Alignment with Existing Legislation
Public University and Institute Student Grant Law No. (63) of 2012: Remains effective during transition until beneficiaries enter the new system, then is repealed. The dynamic eligibility score replaces the fixed income threshold in the 2018 instructions. Current nominal values remain a transitional floor that cannot automatically be reduced.
Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014: Payments continue during transition, then the law is repealed. Suspension logic changes so that first failure or justified absence is not an automatic ground for stopping support.
General Budget Law: Remains the annual funding allocation instrument. The bill moves reliance on a temporary budget provision into a permanent eligibility framework, while the budget determines beneficiary numbers, values and ceilings the state can finance.
Social Protection Law: Remains the reference for identifying households covered by social assistance. Coverage is strong evidence of need, but not the sole condition for educational support.
Private education: Its laws and instructions remain the reference for institutional licensing, fees and admission. This Law does not give supported students a right to admission or lower fees without a provision or programme; it regulates portability of support, exemptions and scholarships where the competent authority authorises it.
Government Scholarships, Fellowships and Financial Assistance Regulation No. (3) of 2018: Is not repealed. Overseas grants, government scholarships and fellowships remain subject to it, alongside equal opportunities and general transparency principles.
Transition from the Two Existing Laws
The transitional rule is ‘not a day without support because the law changes’. The two current laws therefore continue during the academic year implementation begins, while data and beneficiaries move to the new register. Effective repeal is announced only from the beginning of a subsequent academic year after government confirms payment readiness and no reduction in nominal entitlements.
- Within 6 months: Establish the coordination committee and prepare the eligibility score and data exchange rules.
- Within 9 months: Issue the regulation and transitional benefits schedule and link social protection with educational enrolment.
- Within 12 months: Operate the unified register, objection pathway and emergency assistance.
- Beginning of the following academic year: Automatically enrol existing beneficiaries and repeal the two older laws if readiness testing demonstrates uninterrupted payments.
- Within 18 months: Launch student loans after Central Bank rules, budget arrangements and guarantees are complete.
Financial Impact and Cost Estimation Method
Sources published by the document date contain no single database combining actual school and university grant beneficiary numbers, regular disbursements, university exemptions and local transport and accommodation support sufficiently to produce a precise national estimate without major assumptions. The bill therefore gives no total cost figure.
A sound estimate must use an auditable formula: number of beneficiaries × average benefit × payment months for each support type, plus exemption and in-kind assistance costs, then loan subsidies including financing costs, credit losses and guarantees, followed by digital administration and audit costs. Costs must be broken down by school education, higher education, governorate and benefit type.
The law reduces some administrative costs by removing repeated paper evidence and linking databases, but may increase real expenditure if it identifies poor households previously unsupported. This is an intended effect where it reflects better coverage of eligible people, provided it stays within the budget ceiling and is not financed at the expense of school or university quality.
Financial rule: Non-repayable funding for those most in need takes precedence over loans and merit awards. Loans must not appear low-cost where the state bears interest or guarantees: these obligations and risks must be explicitly recorded in public accounts.
International Basis of the Right to Education
Iraq is a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, whose Article (13) recognises the right to education and the need to make secondary and higher education accessible through appropriate means. The Convention on the Rights of the Child also requires measures encouraging regular attendance and reducing dropout, making material support policies a legitimate part of protecting educational rights.
Disability rights conventions and non-discrimination principles affirm that equality is not limited to giving everyone the same amount. A student with a disability may incur additional costs to access the same opportunity. The bill therefore separates maintenance grants from accommodation costs and does not allow one to be deducted from the other.
The bill creates no international entitlement to a loan or grant of a specified amount; these are national instruments for implementing educational rights within available resources. It does, however, make resource allocation more accountable and prevent financial scarcity becoming undisclosed or discriminatory decisions.
Sources and References
- Constitution of the Republic of Iraq, 2005 — Iraqi Council of Representatives
Constitutional basis for equality, the right to education and free education in public institutions.
https://iq.parliament.iq/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A/ - Ministry of Justice — Public Iraqi University and Institute Student Grant Law No. (63) of 2012 with implementing instructions
The applicable law establishing grants for low-income students in public universities and institutes.
https://www.moj.gov.iq/view.7953/ - Ministry of Justice — Iraqi Gazette, issue 4486 of 2018
Includes Instructions No. (70) of 2018 facilitating implementation of the Public University and Institute Student Grant Law.
https://moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4486.pdf - Iraqi Gazette, issue 4308 — Public School Pupil and Student Grant Law No. (3) of 2014
Establishes the school grant, its amounts, duration and suspension cases under current law.
https://mop.gov.iq/documents/administration_financial/Announcements/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B0%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%20%D8%A8%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A8%20%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9%20%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85%20(1)%20%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9%202014%20.pdf - Federal General Budget Law for 2023–2025 — Iraqi Council of Representatives
Article (52) allocated monthly grants to students and pupils from households covered by the social protection network under the two existing laws.
https://iq.parliament.iq/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-2025%D8%8C2024%D8%8C2023.pdf - Iraqi Council of Representatives — Labour and Civil Society Institutions Committee, 21 April 2026
Documents monitoring of educational grant payments to students from social protection households in 2026.
https://iq.parliament.iq/blog/%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA/ - Ministry of Higher Education — Evening Study Rules 2025/2026
Include fee reductions for students covered by social security and those with disabilities and special needs.
https://mohesr.gov.iq/ar/assets/img/uploaded_files/dalel_2025_22026.pdf - Ministry of Higher Education — Free scholarships for medical disciplines in private universities and colleges
An existing free scholarship channel for medical disciplines within private education.
https://pe-gate.mohesr.gov.iq/free.php - Ministry of Higher Education — Admission of 1832 students to free medical-discipline scholarships for 2025/2026
A recent example of scholarships within private higher education institutions.
https://www.mohesr.gov.iq/ar/post/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%84-1832-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-2025-12-07-09 - Ministry of Justice — Iraqi Gazette, issue 4491: Government Scholarships, Fellowships and Financial Assistance Regulation No. (3) of 2018
The existing overseas government scholarship, fellowship and financial assistance framework, excluded from repeal under the bill.
https://www.moj.gov.iq/upload/pdf/4491.pdf - National Education Strategy in Iraq 2022–2031 — Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
A reference for equitable educational access and support policies for groups with less access.
https://dirasat.mohesr.gov.iq/assets/documents/files/National-Strategy-Education.pdf - UNESCO GEM Education Profiles – Financing for equity in higher education: Iraq, updated 2026
Identifies the national strategy's objective of expanding scholarships for disadvantaged groups and the absence of a unified, stand-alone equity-based assistance pathway.
https://gem-report-education-profiles.unesco.org/northern-africa-and-western-asia/iraq/_financing-for-equity-in-higher-education.html - UNESCO – 2026 GEM Report country case study: Iraq
Recent analysis of access and equity in Iraqi education.
https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/2026-gem-report-country-case-studies/iraq - OHCHR – Girls’ Right to Education in Iraq
Presents the international and national framework for educational rights and non-discrimination in Iraq.
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/GirlsRightEducation_EN.pdf - OHCHR Treaty Body Database – Iraq
Documents Iraq's accession to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other relevant human rights conventions.
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/countries.aspx?CountryCode=IRQ - Ministry of Finance — In-year reports, 2026
A reference for in-year financial monitoring and the need to show support and loan obligations in public accounts.
https://www.mof.gov.iq/In-Year-Reports-2026
Iraqi legislation and government sources establish the legal position and existing programmes; United Nations and UNESCO sources explain equity and educational rights principles. No international source replaces Iraqi constitutional or legislative text.