SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Parliament will convene on Wednesday to discuss protests of university and institute students in the Kurdistan Region.
Thousands of students protested in Sulaimani, Erbil and Halabja provinces last week, demanding the government to resume payment of their monthly stipends.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has suspended the distribution of students’ stipends since 2014, when the Region was hit by an economic crisis due to a drop in oil prices, the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) and the wave of displaced people and refugees who headed to Kurdish for shelter.
Students were paid 30,000-100,000 Iraqi dinars ($20.5-$68.5) per month.
To solve the issue, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided to allocate a budget for the ministry of higher education and scientific research to assist students who are in need and to solve the issues of dormitories.
In a statement, speaker Rewaz Fayaq called on lawmakers to attend a session of the Kurdistan parliament on Wednesday.
The parliament will vote on Private Security Companies’ Bill during the session, the statement read. Lawmakers will also finish the second reading of the bill on supervision of agricultural projects.
They will later discuss investigations carried out by the committee of interior, security and local councils as well as the committee of education, higher education and scientific research regarding the students’ protests.
