PM Barzani rings bell marking new school year

“With excellent education… you can combat corruption,” Barzani told the students.

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/09/14 09:11

The son and daughter of Nassir, the Marty of Flag, rang the school bell alongside Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan Education New School year Kurdistan Region Krg Shaqlawa Marty of Flag Ibrahim Nassir Masrour Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani marked the beginning of the new school year by ringing the bell at a primary school in Erbil on Tuesday.

The ceremony took place in the Shaqlawa district.

Last year, a teacher there was killed by an electric shock as he was raising the Kurdistan flag on the first day of school. The school was consequently renamed after Ibrahim Nassir, who posthumously holds the title “Martyr of Flag”.

Before ringing the bell, Barzani delivered a speech in which he expressed delight in seeing the schools reopening after the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

KRG PM Barzani is pictured while giving a speech at ceremony of marking new school year in Shaqlawa district, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG) — KRG PM Barzani is pictured while giving a speech at ceremony marking new school year in Shaqlawa district, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

The premier also addressed the challenges his government has faced, which did not allow it to serve the education sector as it had planned. Despite these challenges, it was still able to allocate a budget for the revitalization of old school buildings and the construction of new ones.

PM Masrour Barzani walk alongside KRG Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed and Erbil Governer Omed Khoshnaw to speak at an event marking beginning of school year, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG) — PM Masrour Barzani walks alongside KRG Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed and Erbil Governer Omed Khoshnaw to speak at an event marking beginning of school year, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has returned 13,000 dropout students to school, he said.

As part of new investment guidelines, the government has mandated the construction of a school in every gated community in a bid to increase the number of educational facilities in the region.

“With excellent education… you can combat corruption,” Barzani told the students.

The premier also called on all teachers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 so they can safely teach the new generation.

Students and teachers are pictured while listening to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's speech at the new school year ceremony, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG) — Students and teachers are pictured listening to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's speech, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

On Monday, the Ministry of Education announced that mask-wearing across all schools for both teachers and students was mandatory.

Before students returned to school, the government set an entire week aside for teachers to get vaccinated.

I'm delighted to be ringing the new academic year bell in Shahid Ibrahim Nasir School in Shaqlawa. The last two years have been challenging for our teachers and students, and the education sector, and I felt their burden. pic.twitter.com/hRHbL6bDfu
— Masrour Barzani پابەندین# (@masrour_barzani) September 14, 2021

At the end of Tuesday's ceremony, Prime Minister Barzani rang the bell to mark the start of the new school year. The son and daughter of Nassir, the Marty of Flag, stood alongside him.