The Iraqi Kurdistan regional government KRG decided to pay for transport and accommodation of Shingal students to take final exams in adjacent Northern Province of Duhok.
The ministry of education of KRG has allocated about 73 million Iraqi Dinars IQD ($50,000) for about 650 students of Shingal as it has rejected carrying out the tests in Singal for security reasons.
Shahab Ahmed, deputy director of Shingal education directorate said the KRG council of ministers has approved the proposal to spend 73,200,000 IQD for transportation, food and accommodation of class 12 students of Shingal to take the final exams in Duhok.
657 students of class 12 under KRG ministry of education have to stay in Duhok to take final exams following the events of 2017 when Iraqi forces ousted Kurdish parties and the Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) from Shingal and all the disputed territories.
The exams are schedules to commence on July 25th for two weeks.
It's not clear yet the mechanism of spending the budget, Ahmed said. One of the options is that each student to receive about IQD110,000 cash as pocket money to cover transport and accommodation.
The district of Shingal, 120 km west of Mosul, center of Ninewa province, is home to the Ezidi minority heavily targeted by Islamic State (IS) group in August 2014 and one of the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.
Education alike other sectors of life is divided between bagdhad and Erbil as schools sponsored by Baghdad study Arabic curriculum while those funded by the KRG are in Kurdish and no of them is ready to lead final exams in Shingal.
"Shingal students will come to Duhok in the couple of coming days just like last few years due to the security situation in Shingal as no one can guarantee secrecy of the tests," Shahab added.
"We have addressed the directorate general of Duhok education to allocate a hostel for the students and cooperate with us but no feedback yet."
Education of Shingal under the KRG has total of 32,600 pupils educated by 12,000 tutors.
Shingal education sponsored by Baghdad has almost same number of students whom for this year take the final exams in Shingal.
Following final exams of class 12, students who pass the exams per his marks admits for state-run institutes and universities which provide education for free.
