End to Discrimination: Kurdish Students Now Eligible for Iraqi Proficiency Exams

PUKMEDIA

PUK lawmaker Badria Hussein.

Efforts by Iraqi Member of Parliament Badria Hussein, representing the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc, have led to a key decision by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to allow students from the Kurdistan Region to participate in the Scientific Proficiency Exams for master’s and doctoral studies.

Speaking to PUKMEDIA, MP Hussein confirmed: “Following my request to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education to ensure the right of Kurdistan Region students to sit for the Scientific Proficiency Exam, the ministry has now approved this request.”

She added that this decision marks an end to a discriminatory policy that had previously excluded students from Kurdistan Region universities. “A number of Kurdish students studying at universities in Baghdad had also been denied this right,” she noted.

MP Hussein expressed her appreciation to the Minister of Higher Education and the ministry for their positive response, stating: “The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan parliamentary bloc consistently defends the rights of citizens. We congratulate the students of Kurdistan and the Region’s universities on this important achievement.”

It is noteworthy that MP Hussein formally submitted her request to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education on 2 June 2025. The ministry’s approval was issued in recent days through an official letter signed by the Director General of the Department of Research and Development, affirming that students from all Iraqi universities — including those in the Kurdistan Region — are now eligible to participate in the examination.

According to available statistics, hundreds of students from the Region’s universities stand to benefit from this decision. The development not only expands academic opportunity but also highlights the active and effective role played by PUK bloc members in the Iraqi Council of Representatives in defending the rights of Kurdistan Region citizens.



PUKMEDIA