Shafaq News- Baghdad
More than 10,000 students in Baghdad's Sabaa Qusour district face worsening school conditions and possible relocation, while the area, home to more than 160,000 residents, has no secondary school for boys or girls, Thaer Al-Kaabi, a lawmaker from the National Approach Bloc (Al-Nahj Al-Watani), said on Sunday.
At a press conference, Al-Kaabi said Sabaa Qusour has only 12 schools, more than 90% of them prefabricated buildings, with classes running in three shifts.
"The situation could become even more difficult as authorities move to evacuate several schools," he added, noting that three permanent schools -Al-Thaalibi, Al-Kumait and Imam Al-Sadiq- serve between 3,000 and 3,750 students and have been ordered evacuated because they are considered at risk of collapse. The students are expected to transfer to schools in Al-Shaab, a separate area some distance from Sabaa Qusour, he said.
Six prefabricated schools on the capital's School Street -Abdullah al-Radhi, Al-Durar, Ibn Sina, Al-Kalima al-Tayyiba, Al-Najaf al-Ashraf and Al-Wafaa- are also facing closure and relocation. The schools were built on privately owned land, but the First Rusafa Education Directorate has not paid the land rents.
Pointing to land belonging to the Finance Ministry as a possible solution, he called for the plots to be used to construct new schools, which could reduce reliance on prefabricated buildings and rented sites.
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Three other schools -Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Lujain and Al-Argwan- present another problem. Their students have been attending schools in Al-Shaab since 2024 after the buildings were closed for renovation, but the work has yet to be completed.
Al-Kaabi recalled circulating information that the buildings could be turned into a commercial complex, urging the relevant authorities to verify the claim.
He further appealed for Finance Ministry land near the health center in the Al-Mashrooa area to be allocated for a new school complex and for outstanding rent payments to be settled until replacement facilities are built.
"Continued school closures and the movement of students outside Sabaa Qusour could further disrupt education in the district," Al-Kaabi warned, stressing that he would pursue parliamentary and oversight measures if the authorities did not address the issue.