Iraqi Education Ministry sets four-day week for 2024 contracted teachers

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Education has changed the weekly schedule for contracted teachers hired under its 2024 contracts in the General Secondary, Private and Foreign Education directorates, reducing their working week to four days. The ministry said the new calendar is designed to ensure the continuity of educational services and the fulfillment of teachers' duties. The regulation follows the model previously applied to contracted educators in earlier years, according to the ministry's decision. It will take effect from the 2026–2027 academic year. The ministry said the change is not expected to disrupt the functioning of the educational process. Teachers' postings and task distributions will be reassigned based on actual field-level data on their work.