Iraq's Untold Story: What We Take For Granted

An update on progress in the educational arena, from a USAID summary (pdf) for the week of Oct. 21:

Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) classes, to eventually reach 11,000
students this year, began earlier this week in campuses across the
country. ALP schools are helping out-of-school youths ages 12-18 return to
class, completing two years of primary education in one year. These schools
are located in the 10 governorates with the lowest primary school net enrollment
rates. Due to enthusiasm for the program, more students than anticipated
will be participating and additional classrooms have been opened. This
is the first year of ALP classes, following on the successful pilot program of
2003-2004.

A total of 1,000 trained teachers will staff the ALP schools country-wide. For
the past year, USAID has supported a cascade-style training program to ensure
that these instructors can help students learn quickly and effectively.
Workshops and sessions for master trainers continue to take place in Amman
and each of the participating governorates.

In addition, ALP schools are receiving supply kits for classrooms and teachers.
New and updated textbooks, like the social science books that now reference
human rights, are being printed through the support of USAID and UNICEF
in coordination with the Ministry of Education. Printing has already
started for 52 Arabic titles that will be used by the program. Kurdish textbooks
are under bidding and printing is expected to start soon.

With total primary school enrollment at 4,334,609 and a 76 percent primary
school completion rate, more than one million Iraqi children either drop out or
never attend primary school. In a 2003 USAID survey of out-of-school youth in
six governorates, 86 percent of boys and 80 percent of girls stated that they
would return to school if they were given the opportunity. ALP will help students
catch up with their peers and continue on to secondary education.