Ayatollah al-Sistani calls for extension of reforms to education sector

Rasa – Speaking on behalf of Iraq’s most influential Shi’a Muslim cleric, Ayatollah al-Sistani, Karbala’s Friday prayers’ leader emphasized that the reform process must also be extended to the education sector, stating that a law calling for compulsory education should be approved.

News ID: 3332

Date: 11 September 2015 - 21:49

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi city of Karbala, Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i gave his support for Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi’s reform plan but said the plan should be sped up and warned against the process being derailed.

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani also emphasized that the reform process must also be extended to the education sector, stating that a law calling for compulsory education should be approved.

He spoke about the large number of illiterate people, especially women, in the impoverished country and explained that the illiteracy among Iraqi’s will have negative implications for the country in the future and urged parents to enroll their children at the start of the new academic year.

The Iraqi cleric also urged that the Iraqi government’s proposed $4.4 billion dollar loans to banks must be monitored so that it is used for what it was intended for – to support small businesses in the agricultural and industrial sectors and housing – to prevent “corrupt and greedy people from getting their hands on it.”

Hujjat al-Islam Karbala’i stressed that those involved in corruption must not be allow to touch these funds, as happened in previous projects and called for officials to take complementary steps to achieve this goal such as the protection of local products, which cannot compete with imports.

He also called for a re-evaluation of officials’ performances and to punish corrupt officials and to replace those who have proven their incompetence. He called on all officials to act in the interests of the people whom they are serving.

Hujjat al-Islam Karbala’i also called on the Iraqi government not to fill sensitive government positions based on tribal or sectarian positions and said: “This (reform) cannot be achieved except with professional standards in any replacement process away from political quotas or sectarian, local or tribal affiliations.”

His Eminence stated that the parliament’s approval of a law to reduce of salaries of some officials is on the right track.

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