For some reason, this didn't make it onto CNN:
Another 43 Iraqi schools funded and approved for rehabilitation
By LuAnne Fantasia
Gulf Region Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Iraqi sub-contractors place and fill concrete tiles that are surfacing the play yard of this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) funded and managed school renovation project outside of Erbil, northern Iraq, on June 20, 2005. (U.S. Army photo by Jim Gordon)
Baghdad, Iraq—Slightly more than six weeks from now, approximately 18,000 Iraqi school children will sit in freshly refurbished schools when their new school year starts.
A team of Iraqi and U.S. government entities announce today that renovations of 43 schools in the northern and southern governorates are funded for repairs, with contracts awarded for the work. As part of the Iraq Relief Reconstruction Fund, over $1.3M was set aside to continue a nationwide school repair program.
Repairs include rehabilitating sanitary facilities, and electrical and mechanical systems, as well as structural repairs to schools in Karbala, Dahuk, Najaf, Basrah, and Qadisiyah.
“And, we’ll keep working toward clean, safe and healthier learning environments for the Iraqi children,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, Director of Programs at the Project and Contracting Office, Baghdad.
“The announcement of funding for 43 more schools comes after a whirlwind construction program of school renovation begun just over a year ago. Since June of last year, 656 of the total 800 schools in reconstruction have completed,” she added.
According to Durham-Aguilera, renovation costs for each school averages $30 – 35K, and plans are for all of the 43 projects to be completed before the end of September.
“Over $86M from the Iraqi Relief Reconstruction Fund was committed to the Iraqi Ministry of Education to renovate 800 schools in Iraq,” Durham-Aguilera said. “These particular projects are the last phase of renovation and/or repairs of existing schools,” she added.
She explained that the projects provide employment opportunities for Iraqi citizens.
“The contracts for all of the school projects in the program are competitive—they’re awarded directly to Iraqi contractors, and collectively, the remaining 43 projects will employ approximately 800 Iraqi workers,” she said.
The projects were identified and approved by the Ministry of Education and local governorates, in coordination with the U.S. government, according to Durham-Aguilera.
At Iraq’s transition to sovereignty June 2004, there were just over 200 Reconstruction projects started. Today, there are more than 2,700 projects started, with nearly 1,600 completed. Projects will continue for the Iraqi Ministries of Security and Justice; Electricity; Oil; Public Works and Water; Buildings, Health and Education; and Transportation and Communication.
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