KRG: Kurdish Language Ban Violates Iraqi Constitution

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) strongly condemns the decision by Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education to ban the use of Kurdish in teaching and examinations at universities in Mosul, Kirkuk, and Diyala.

This policy violates Article 4 of the Iraqi Constitution, which recognises Kurdish as an official language, and infringes on the constitutional rights of Kurdish-speaking students and academic staff. It also contradicts the foundational principles of peaceful coexistence and cultural pluralism enshrined in the Iraqi state.

We call on the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education to immediately reverse this discriminatory measure and to uphold its constitutional duty to ensure that higher education institutions foster inclusion and respect for Iraq’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

The KRG Ministry will engage directly with relevant federal authorities to pursue a constructive resolution and to ensure that such exclusionary actions are not repeated.

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research