Shafaq News- Baghdad
Private schools have become a growing alternative forIraqi families struggling with overcrowded public classrooms, but the teachersdriving the sector’s expansion continue to face low wages, heavy workloads andlimited employment protections.
Thousands of educators have raised concerns that theirwages have not matched the rapid growth of private schooling, with many earningmodest incomes despite long teaching hours and additional responsibilities.
Wasn Jabar, a private school principal, told ShafaqNews that teachers in many private schools receive monthly salaries of no morethan 300,000 Iraqi dinars ($230).
"Some teachers work 30 teaching periods a week,with almost no breaks," she noted, criticizing the lack of appreciationfor teachers’ role by some private school investors.
The private education has expanded in recent years asIraq’s public education system continues to face a shortage of classrooms, andthe widespread use of double and triple shifts.
Iraq needs between 8,000 and 10,000 new schools toaddress the shortage, while some classrooms have around 80 students, accordingto previous remarks by parliament’s Education Committee member Jawadal-Ghazali.
The growing demand for private education has made it apreferred option for many families, despite the high tuition fees they pay fortheir children’s education. But teachers working in the sector say theirsalaries often vary depending on the school’s location rather than theirexperience or qualifications.
Teacher Reem Hussein explained that salaries candiffer significantly between neighborhoods. "In Hay al-Jamiaa, a teacher’ssalary ranges between 250,000 and 400,000 dinars ($190-$305)," she said,adding that salaries at private schools in Baghdad’s al-Mansour district canreach 600,000 dinars ($460) per month.
Official figures from the Ministry of Education showthat Iraq had more than 3,500 private schools operating across differenteducational levels in 2024. According to education statistics compiled withIraq’s Ministry of Education and the Central Statistical Organization,state-run schools employed 466,681 teaching staff during the 2024/2025 academicyear.
Despite the sector’s expansion, teachers say manyprivate schools still lack clear employment standards, particularly regardingsalary deductions, paid leave and social security coverage.
"The salaries are reduced during holidaysannounced by the Ministry of Education or provincial councils, even thoughteachers have no control over those decisions," teacher Faten Ali toldShafaq News.
"The student pays the full tuition fee, so whyare teachers’ salaries reduced without accountability?" she added, callingfor stronger regulations requiring private schools to provide social securitycoverage and protect workers’ rights, including paid leave during the academicyear.
Teacher Bushra al-Halfi also pointed to the additionalduties often assigned to teachers outside working hours, including preparingeducational materials, training activities and other school-related tasks,stressing that low salaries and increasing demands have pushed some teachers toleave private schools.
The concerns raised by teachers have led to a seriesof protests across Iraq. In April, thousands of teachers and educationemployees joined strikes and demonstrations in Baghdad and several provinces,including Basra, Wasit, Karbala, Kirkuk and Najaf, calling for salary reforms,housing allocations and changes to employment regulations.
The demonstrations continued for several days,prompting the government to approve a package of measures addressing some ofthe educators’ demands, including reviewing salary issues, allocating landplots and enforcing provisions of the Teacher Protection Law.
On Monday, Zuleikha Elias, chairwoman of Iraq’sparliament Education Committee, noted that Baghdad is considering amendments tothe Law on the Protection of Teachers, with the proposed changes including thedistribution of free residential plots of land to teachers, educators,supervisors and other Ministry of Education employees.
Citing that the previous law allowed land allocationsin exchange for financial payments and mainly covered teaching staff andsupervisors, she explained that the proposed amendments would extend thebenefit to all ministry employees without requiring payment.
"The committee has also recommended increasingprofessional allowances from 150,000 dinars (about $115) to 300,000 dinars(about $230)," she added, citing additional benefits for teachers workingin remote areas.
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