Erbil, Kurdistan Region - Nivar embraced her father Bakhtiyar, who rushed home to congratulate her after she aced the 12th grade national standardized exams with a score of 100 out of 100 - placing her at the highest percentile in Iraq.
"I studied hard during the summer. I studied up to 10 hours a day and cut down on my social media use," she told Rudaw English.
Nivar is one of three Kurdish female students who scored at the top of their cohorts nationwide, not allowing financial and other institutional obstacles to stand in the way of their success.
Shirin Preparatory School in Kirkuk province, where she studied, was demolished three years ago, and construction has since stalled. Each day, Nivar would walk several miles to get to and from school school, which operates in three shifts.
The Kurdistan Region's Education Minister Alan Hama Saeed commended Nivar for "her perfect score on the level of the country," congratulating, in a Wednesday statement on Facebook, "all the students of Kurdish education institutions," as well as "all principals, teachers, and educational overseers."
Ruya Hussein, also residing in Kirkuk, was overcome with mixed emotions of pride and grief. She was barely able to hold back tears as she gazed at a photo of her late father - who had passed away six months earlier - on her phone, after learning she had ranked among the top students in Iraq, but was unable to share the news with the father she so dearly adored.
"My parents' support made me hopeful that God would help me succeed. Everything from God is good," Ruya told Rudaw English.
Kozhin Marouf is another outstanding Kurdish student who performed exceptionally well. Her background is one of displacement from the multi-ethnic town of Tuz Khurmatu to Kirkuk in October 2017, after federal Iraqi forces launched a sudden military offensive to seize control of the two regions as well as other disputed territories from the Kurdish Peshmerga.
As soon as her results appeared on her brother's tablet, he and her parents rushed to hug her - especially since she had emerged as a top student despite receiving her education in Arabic rather than her native Kurdish.
"Honestly, I was expecting this grade. I didn't hire private tutors. I made use of free YouTube videos I found online to study, and my teachers were also very helpful," Kozhin said.
National exams were held in Iraq in mid-May, and on exam days, authorities enforced a nationwide internet shutdown from 6:00 am to 7:30 pm local time to prevent cheating and the potential leaking of exams.
Kamaran Ali, head of Kirkuk's Kurdish education directorate, affiliated with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), told Rudaw English that the achievements of the three girls come despite the “systematic” marginalization the Iraqi government has subjected upon Kurdish education in Kirkuk and other disputed areas since the October 2017 events.
He pointed to lack of support from Baghdad for educational institutions that offer Kurdish-language instruction, which he said leaves Kurdish students at a disadvantage compared to their peers in the multiethnic city.
Ali further added that “more than 100 Kurdish schools in Kirkuk require renovation, with over 40 operating on three shifts and a handful running on four.”
Delayed salary payments for civil servants in the Kurdistan Region, who have been subject to salary delays and wage cuts for years, further compound the challenges that Kurdish education teachers have been no exception - at a time when teachers on the federal government's payroll are paid on time.
