Kurdish Students in Kirkuk Say They Were Failed for Answering Exams in Their Mother Tongue
Eighty-two Kurdish fourth-year students at the College of Law at Kirkuk University warn that new academic measures could erase four years of study after they were reportedly failed for using the Kurdish language in examinations
KIRKUK (Kurdistan24) - Eighty-two Kurdish fourth-year students at the College of Law at Kirkuk University say they are facing the possible loss of four years of academic study after being penalized for answering an examination in the Kurdish language.
According to the students, the crisis began after they were prevented from responding to one of their exams in Kurdish.
The students told Kurdistan24 that although their answers were scientifically and academically correct, they were marked as failed solely because they used Kurdish in their responses.
The students described the decision as a serious academic and administrative crisis that now threatens both their educational future and professional careers.
According to their statements, the issue did not end with failing the disputed subject. Under newly issued instructions, the affected students are reportedly being required to retake examinations from previous academic stages despite having already passed those courses successfully in earlier years.
The students warned that failing any one of those repeated subjects could invalidate their entire four-year university education, effectively treating them as though they had never completed their studies.
The students, who say they are now facing despair and uncertainty, used Kurdistan24 as a platform to appeal directly to Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and other relevant authorities.
“We studied day and night for four years,” the students said. “It is unacceptable for our efforts to be lost because of language and an unlawful decision. We ask government officials to respond to our calls for help.”
The case has sparked widespread reaction in Kirkuk, not only because it concerns a university dispute, but because it touches on the broader issue of education in one’s mother tongue — a right protected under the Iraqi Constitution.
The controversy has also raised concerns regarding the protection of Kurdish students’ academic rights in Kirkuk, particularly for a generation of future legal professionals studying in the city.