Re-equipping Iraq’s Schools

Re-equipping Iraq’s Schools Materials Distribution Program May 2004 Over the past two decades, Iraqi schools and education administrative offices suffered significantly from neglect and deficient resource allocation. The majority of school facilities in Iraq suffered from lack of maintenance, diminished supplies of furniture and learning/teaching materials. After the conflict, schools in general suffered very little looting. However, most of the education administrative offices throughout the country however were severely looted. USAID’s year one education program focused on emergency actions to support the resumption of schools while laying the foundations for critical reforms to ensure that the role of the education sector be brought to the fore front as a vital player in the rebuilding of Iraq. Through the program for re- equipping Iraq’s schools, education administrative offices and schools were re-equipped and student and teacher received learning materials for the new school year. The Purpose In support of the Iraqi Ministry of Education (MOE), USAID procured and distributed essential equipment for Governorate education offices, schools, teachers and children throughout Iraq to provide them with the necessary tools to resume classes. This included distributing teacher and student supplies; equipping classrooms with desks, chairs, cabinets and blackboards; revising, printing and distributing math and science textbooks and equipping MOE education offices. Most of the materials were purchased, assembled and/or manufactured locally. Refurbishing Ministry Offices In an effort to support the MOE to bring students back into Iraq’s schools, USAID supported the re-equipping of all 21 Ministry of Education Director General Offices. The offices received new furniture, computers and equipment to support their operations. Director General Offices are located in each of Iraq’s governorates with four in Baghdad. The offices are responsible for schools and education programming in each governorate. Recipient of USAID school supplies at Al Eman Secondary School. (USAID Photo) Providing Primary School Materials At the primary school level, USAID supported UNICEF in the distribution of student and teacher kits to schools throughout Iraq. The total number of kits distributed included: 808,000 primary school student kits containing a ruler, notebooks, pens, pencils, and erasers. 81,735 primary teacher kits containing pencils, pens and notebooks According to the new MOE Iraqi statistics of 2003, Iraq has approximately 11,066 primary schools and an estimated enrollment of 4.3 million primary students. Click here for detailed maps of USAID’s activities distributing school supplies in Iraq Total Primary School Deliverables in Iraq with USAID Funding * IRAQ EDUCATION PROGRAM YEAR 1 (MAY 2003 - MARCH 2004) MoE- Iraq USAID- Iraq UNICEF- Iraq Dahuk Total Primary School Deliverables Student Kits Teacher Kits Ninewa Student Kits Delivered 97440 - 115200 115201 - 165200 No Data Total Student Kits: 808,000 Salah al-Din N W E S Diyala 97440 Baghdad Anbar Wassit Babylon Kerbala Qadissiya 8145 Najaf 3060 1965 Thi-Qar 20760 1170 5355 4725 Muthanna 7515 3435 Emergency Interventions: Re-equipping Schools Erbil Sulaymaniyah Tameem 165200 115200 Teacher Kits Delivered 10 - 1965 1966 - 5355 5356 - 8145 8146 - 20760 No Data Total Teacher Kits: 81,735 15990 Missan Basrah 60 0 60 120 Kilometers In close cooperation with Iraqi nationals and the Coalition Provisional Authority, USAID is restoring critical infrastructure, delivery of healthcare and education services, expanding economic opportunities, and improving governance in Iraq. Emergency Interventions: Re-equipping Schools Providing the Materials for Learning A USAID Secondary School Student Kit (USAID Photo) Secondary School Materials At the secondary school level, through USAID’s Education contractor Creative Associates, USAID provided essential supplies for secondary schools throughout Iraq. The distribution began in October 2003 and included three main categories of supplies: Student kits: 1,494,513 school kits with notebooks, pens, pencils, a calculator, and rulers were distributed to each of Iraq’s secondary school students. Kit distribution was completed in November 2003. School kits: USAID provided all 3,900 of Iraq’s secondary schools with a kit of essential classroom furniture. The total distribution included 159,005 student desks, 26,437 teacher desks, 59,940 teacher chairs, 26,050 metal cabinets and 61,500 chalkboards. Teacher kits: 58,500 teacher kits were delivered to secondary school teachers in November 3003. According to the new MOE statistics of 2003, Iraq has approximately 2,968 primary schools and an estimated enrollment of 1.5 million primary students. Printing of new revised math and science textbooks. (USAID Photo) Textbooks More than 8.7 million textbooks were printed and distributed through USAID’s Education Program in collaboration with UNESCO. Through this effort, a review advisory board was constituted by the MOE with both Iraqi and international participation and the 48 primary and secondary math and science text books were reviewed and edited. During the program’s first phase, 5,597,260 textbooks of a planned 5 million textbooks were printed and distributed to schools throughout Iraq. In the second and final phase, 3,162,000 additional books were printed and distributed. Of the 8.7 million textbooks, 70 percent were printed in Iraq and 30 percent in Amman. Textbooks Distributed by Governorate Baghdad Ninawa’ Basrah Diyala Maysan An Najaf Al Anbar Babil 2,868,015 804,194 804,995 519,423 233,141 277,441 459,904 537,703 Karbala’ Al Muthanna’ At’ Tamim Dhi Qar Salah ad Din Al Qadisiyah Wasit Arbil 323,457 150,302 300,664 537,181 372,207 261,203 280,930 28,500 Total 8,759,260 New desks provided by USAID at a rehabilitated secondary school. (USAID Photo) United States Agency for International Development www.usaid.gov/iraq/ Iraq Ministry of Education