PM al-Sudani vows to expedite construction of 2,000 schools

Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Thursday vowed to expedite the construction of nearly 2,000 schools that have been stalled for more than 10 years.

"This is a loss by all standards," al-Sudani said during a meeting of the committee overseeing the project.

The project, which includes the construction of 1,751 schools across Iraq, is being implemented by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the private sector.

Al-Sudani, according to a readout issued by his bureau, was briefed on the progress of the project and the challenges facing its completion. "He directed the relevant authorities to take all necessary measures to overcome these challenges and complete the project within a specific timeframe."

The Prime Minister also ordered the Ministry of Planning to conduct a monthly assessment of the project's progress and schedule a meeting with the companies involved in the project to review the progress of the project in two months.

A poll by an Iraq-based nongovernment statistics organization found that al-Sudani has an approval rate of 51% in the country, the highest of any Iraqi official.

Al-Sudani belongs to the Coordination Framework, an alliance of mainly Iran-backed Shiite political forces. But after assuming the premiership, his approach came to disagree with some of their political positions.

A leader in the Islamic Dawa Party, which al-Sudani led until stepping down in 2019, revealed that Coordination Framework leaders have been meeting for about five months and plan to call for elections in 2024 or early 2025 to prevent al-Sudani from establishing his own political movement.

The dispute between the Coordination Framework and the Premier relates to his approval of the US Federal Reserve policies to prevent currency smuggling. These measures reduced the circulation of US dollars in Iraq and increased the exchange rate of the green banknotes against the local currency.

Al-Sudani also implemented several policies that have boosted his popularity. He increased government salaries and wages for retirees, launched major development projects in the capital and several Iraqi governorates, and announced plans to improve infrastructure and expand the nation’s road network.

According to official statistics, al-Sudani's strategies significantly reduced unemployment. In addition, he passed a social security law for workers in the private sector and announced a plan to build new 1,000 schools and more than a million residential units.

A September 2023 opinion poll by the Government Advisory Board found that al-Sudani enjoys a 78% approval rate.