The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a $12.6 million, one-year grant to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to continue to provide support to the Ministry of Education in Iraq.
UNICEF has been active in Iraq for over 50 years, working in the fields of primary and secondary education as well as education planning and management.
The agency's initial assistance to the education sector in Iraq supported the completion of the post-conflict school year, the resumption of the 2003-2004 school year, and activities within the Ministry of Education that would lay the foundation for longer term reform.
In 2003 UNICEF promoted a "Back-to-School" campaign, conducted assessments to determine the availability of school materials, and assisted with the development of education "indicators" to be used in the Ministry of Education's new education management system to improve education. UNICEF will also train 250,000 primary schools teachers in 2004.
The next phase of USAID's assistance to the education sector will continue many of these emergency programs, but will increasingly focus on transforming Iraq's educational system in coordination with the Ministry of Education, reported a press release.
This USAID grant to UNICEF will assist in achieving such goals as: providing 1,150 schools with access to potable water and sanitation facilities; ensuring that all latrines in the 1,150 schools are fully operational; developing and distributing materials and software for the promotion of school health, sanitation, and personal hygiene. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
