Tikrit University graduates protest unpaid thesis fees dating to 2018

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Postgraduate graduates of Tikrit University in Saladin province have threatened to escalate protests over thesis defense and doctoral dissertation fees that they say have gone unpaid since 2018. In a written statement, group representatives said the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research had ordered the disbursement of the payments and asked graduates to submit their thesis defense documents to the university. The graduates said the payments have still not been made, even as peers at other universities have received the same entitlements. They called on the university's financial affairs directorate and faculty deanships to resolve the case. Among the steps under consideration, according to the statement, are an open and peaceful sit-in in front of the university and complaints to financial oversight bodies and the competent courts. The graduates are also demanding an investigation into why the payments were withheld and the disbursement of all outstanding fees without discrimination among recipients. No further details were immediately available on whether the university or the ministry has responded to the demands.