BAGHDAD, Nov 2 (NNN-NINA) – Millions of Iraqi students and teachers, yesterday, returned to the classrooms for the start of a new school year, after two years of studying online due to the spread of the COVID-19.
Early yesterday, students went to thousands of primary and secondary schools across the country, except for the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, which started school earlier.
Spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Education, Haidar Farouq al-Saadon, said that, more than 11 million students began their academic year yesterday.
He said that the ministry has coordinated with the health ministry, to raise health awareness among students about the pandemic.
“The Ministry of Education has coordinated with the Ministry of Health, to raise the level of health awareness among students, by highlighting the need to maintain health-protective measures, to continue their attendance and learning in classrooms,” al-Saadon said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Education decided to adopt a schedule of four days a week in classrooms for all students, while the ministry is expected to approve teaching selected lessons two days online each week.
Also in the day, Iraqi Prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi told the students, during his visit to a secondary school in central Baghdad, “you are our future and Iraq prospers and develops through you,” according to a statement issued on al-Kadhimi’s media office.
“I advise you to study hard, your hard work today will pay-off tomorrow,” al-Kadhimi said.
The start of the new school year came as the Ministry of Health reported a decrease in COVID-19 cases. However, the ministry repeatedly calls on citizens to adhere to health-protective measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, especially with the beginning of winter.
The ministry reported 1,046 new cases Sunday, raising the nationwide caseload to 2,055,248.
It also reported 32 new deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 23,170. The total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country reached 5,896,149.
Iraq has been pushing forward its vaccination drive since the drug authority approved in Jan, the emergency use of China’s Sinopharm vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines.– NNN-NINA
