Iraq’s unpaid ‘Annex Lecturers’: Stipends without legal backing

Shafaq News/ Volunteer lecturers across Iraq remain excluded from formal salary allocations in the 2025 federal and triennial budgets, a senior al-Anbar Provincial Council official disclosed on Monday.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Adnan Al-Kubaisi explained that payments to “Annex Lecturers” continue under temporary administrative arrangements, lacking legal authorization or budgetary coverage. “These stipends are absent from both the 2025 budget and the government’s three-year fiscal plan,” he noted, stressing that only a parliamentary amendment to the budget law can establish permanent funding.

While the government previously set a tentative deadline through January 2025 to address the issue, Al-Kubaisi confirmed no legal mechanism currently supports ongoing disbursements.

He also emphasized that the issue affects all provinces, urging Parliament and federal authorities to legislate stable compensation for this “essential segment of the educational workforce.”

His comments come as protests by educators and public sector staff entered a second day across Baghdad and several provinces, demanding salary scale reforms and protesting pay disparities among departments.