On November 23 local time, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani presided over the phased completion ceremony of the Iraq Model Schools Project via video link. Hamid Al-Ghazi, Secretary-General of the Iraqi Cabinet Secretariat, and Ibrahim Namiz, Minister of Education, attended the video opening ceremony.

At the ceremony, Prime Minister Al Sudani stated that the 1,000-school project is the Iraqi government's "Project No. 1" and a key measure for improving educational facilities and enhancing education quality. To date, 790 schools have been completed and will be put into use, and he expressed the hope that the remaining 210 schools in the project will be completed within two months. The Prime Minister particularly noted that in January this year he personally witnessed the handover of the first school in Dhi Qar Province. That school has now successfully enrolled more than 140 children from single-parent families or orphans, which he is very pleased about. He emphasized that education is not only about infrastructure construction, but also a fundamental path for Iraq to achieve social stability and economic development.

When introducing the project progress, Secretary-General Al-Ghazi said that the site selection for the 1,000 schools fully took into account population density, pressure on facilities, and regional needs, and in particular brought hope to students under the "three-shift" system. These schools adopt modern designs that integrate teaching, laboratories, sports, and administration. Once completed, they will effectively alleviate the shortage of educational resources and inject vitality into the balanced development of education across the country.

As a landmark livelihood project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the PowerChina Iraq Model Schools Project has undertaken the construction of 679 schools in total. Among them, the Iraq Model Schools Project (Dhi Qar Province) undertaken by PowerChina Building Company covers 106 schools, with a total construction area of 282,000 square meters. The construction content includes school administrative areas, classrooms, libraries, sports fields, workshops, and more. The project commenced in February 2022. To date, 84 schools have been completed, and the remaining 22 will be completed before the end of the year. The company's Iraq Model Schools Project (Dhi Qar Province) is not only an important symbol of deepened China-Iraq cooperation, but also a key measure by the Chinese side to support Iraq's educational infrastructure construction and benefit the local people.

At the ribbon-cutting event in Dhi Qar Province, the atmosphere was warm and solemn. The owner's representative, the director of the provincial education department, student representatives, and Chinese project employees gathered together to witness this important moment in educational development. The owner's representative reported the project progress to the Prime Minister and promised to continue maintaining close cooperation with PowerChina, the supervision team, and the provincial education department to support the development of education in Dhi Qar Province. When the children stepped into the spacious and bright new classrooms for the first time, they said excitedly: "We have never seen such a beautiful and spacious school. We like it here very much."