Basra education directorate says damaged CD replaced, blames salary delays on Finance Ministry

BASRA, Iraq — The Basra Provincial Education Directorate said it has prepared a replacement CD containing the names of personnel covered by a 38,000-grade contract and will deliver it to the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. In a written statement, the directorate said the original CD was handed over to the ministry about a week ago at the ministry's request, after being verified as intact and usable. The directorate said it received a letter from the Finance Ministry on Saturday reporting that the disc had been damaged and requesting a new copy. A replacement containing the required data has been prepared and will be sent to the ministry tomorrow, the statement added. The directorate stressed that all procedures under its authority were completed in accordance with regulations and that it bears no responsibility for delays affecting salary and contract holders. It called for accurate reporting on the matter and warned against holding it accountable for issues outside its jurisdiction. The statement also said repeated closures of the directorate's building have disrupted administrative operations and negatively affected retirees and beneficiaries.