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01 October 2003

Iraqi Schools Reopen Their Doors

Students find refurbished classrooms and new textbooks

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Some 5.5 million Iraqi primary and secondary age students returned to school October 1 for registration and orientation in preparation for the new academic year. The opening of school follows months of cleaning and refurbishing school facilities.

The Coalition Provisional Authority set a goal of renovating 1,000 schools before the beginning of classes, but U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew Natsios reported September 30 that the agency surpassed this target, completing renovations in 1,500 of the country's schools.

Renovation efforts continue in many more of the nation's 3,900 secondary schools. USAID has approved 89 grants worth more than $1.2 million to clean and equip schools and education offices throughout Iraq. To date, these projects have provided work for some 35,000 Iraqis through 64 local subcontractors.

In addition to clean classrooms and new desks, Iraqi students will find new textbooks thanks to a UNESCO project, supported in part by USAID, to revise 98 math and science texts and print 5.6 million new copies for distribution throughout the country. USAID is also distributing 1.5 million new student supply kits.

In coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Education, USAID is working to create a standardized national examination process in order to evaluate the schools and the students' progress. Five locations have also been selected to serve as accelerated learning centers. In addition, USAID will be funding a $20 million program to establish partnerships between Iraqi and American universities.

The ministerial level is not the only place where change is occurring, however. For the first time, Iraqi parents and teachers are participating in educational decisions through local Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs). In order to ensure that community members have a say in matters affecting their children's futures, a certain portion of funds earmarked for education is being allocated according to the requests of the newly formed PTAs.

Classes are scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 4.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)