Iraqi Education Ministry rejects exam-marking rumors, urges reliance on official sources

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Education issued a written statement on Tuesday rejecting rumors about the marking of examination papers, saying the process is carried out only by experienced central commissions with subject-matter expertise. The ministry stressed that accuracy and fairness are observed in grading. Hussein Sabri al-Lami, the ministry's deputy minister for technical affairs and head of the permanent examination commission, said claims that papers were left to contracted personnel or to individuals unrelated to the work do not reflect reality. He said the papers are evaluated by qualified staff assigned to the task. The ministry called on parents and students to consult only official sources for information and to disregard rumors circulating on social media. No further details on the source of the rumors or the examinations in question were provided.