Iraqi MPs seek exception for rejected postgraduate applicants

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi members of parliament have begun collecting signatures on a petition addressed to the Prime Minister, asking the Cabinet to revisit the cases of civil servants and contract employees barred from postgraduate admissions for the 2026–2027 academic year because of overlapping job duties. The petition calls for a transitional exception covering applicants who completed their applications and qualifying examinations before the relevant amendments to the 2026 Cabinet decision were issued. According to the document, the proposed exception is intended to assist candidates who were affected by subsequent regulations issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Petitioners set out several conditions, including that applicants must meet the required academic standing and ranking, be admitted either within regular quotas or through special tuition channels, and place no additional financial burden on the state. The petition also requires that candidates obtain written confirmation from their employing agencies that no formal objection or approval dispute is pending, and that they pursue their studies only through approved unpaid leave or legal secondment arrangements. It stresses that the exception would not automatically create any financial or employment rights, with all procedures and legal outcomes remaining subject to existing laws and regulations.