Returning to work after the holidays, hundreds of teachers gathered to protest and demand restitution for unpaid wages. Teachers gathered in front of the Education Directorate in Mosul, waving banners and placards demanding compensation for wages, which were already six months overdue. To avoid disrupting student exams, the teachers decided not to commence their protest until after the exam period. The ongoing protests and threat of a major walkout by the teachers forced the Education Directorate to dispense 60 dollars as emergency pay for each teacher. In the case where state authorities refused to pay the overdue wages, tens of schools could potentially shutdown if these teachers were to make good on their threat to go on strike.