A number of families of twelfth-grade students in Saqqez have raised concerns over the choice of Ostad Shirzadi School, located in the university district near the Ne’mat ice cream shop, as an exam center for final exams, HANA Human Rights Organization reports.
Following the destruction of one of Saqqez’s police stations during recent armed hostilities, some law enforcement personnel were relocated to this school building or its immediate vicinity, according to information received by HANA.
Despite reports of this deployment, the Saqqez Department of Education has still designated the school as an exam site.
Families say the presence of armed forces and police equipment in or near the exam venue is more than just a source of anxiety and psychological pressure that could disrupt students’ concentration; should military tensions resume or escalate, it could put their children’s lives at serious risk. They are calling for the exam site to be moved immediately to a safe, civilian location, well away from any deployment of military or law enforcement personnel and equipment.
Schools and educational facilities are inherently civilian in nature and should never be used in ways that expose students, staff, and families to foreseeable danger. To the extent that the current situation falls under the rules governing armed conflict, all parties are obligated to distinguish between military targets and civilians or civilian sites, and to take every possible precaution to minimize risk to non-combatants. Military targets, forces, and equipment should, wherever possible, be kept out of populated areas and away from educational facilities altogether.
Whatever legal label is attached to the recent hostilities, state institutions remain bound by their human rights obligations to protect children’s right to life, physical and psychological safety, and education. The principle of the best interests of the child likewise demands that in every administrative decision touching students, their health and safety take precedence over logistical convenience, administrative costs, or ease of scheduling.
Reports of an attack on a school in Minab, said to have been located near a military complex and to have left a number of students and civilians dead or wounded, have once again underscored the dangers of situating schools near military sites and installations. HANA stresses that the details of this incident, including the number of casualties, the nature of the intended target, and the responsibility of the parties involved, call for an independent, impartial, and effective investigation.
Voicing serious concern over the situation reported in Saqqez, HANA Human Rights Organization is calling on the Ministry of Education, the Kurdistan Province Department of Education, the Saqqez governorate, and other responsible bodies to carry out an urgent, expert, and documented assessment of the security risks at this site before any exam takes place.
Should military or law enforcement personnel or equipment remain present at the school or in its immediate vicinity, the exam site must be relocated without delay to a location that is safe and entirely civilian. Continuing to hold exams there without addressing these risks would amount to a disregard for a foreseeable danger and a failure by responsible institutions to fulfill their duty to protect children’s lives and safety.
HANA stresses that protecting students’ lives, mental health, and safety must take precedence over any administrative or logistical consideration.