World Bank gives money for public and private education

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Yesterday at the request of Iraq's civil governor, Paul Bremer, and the Iraqi ministry of education, the World Bank granted Iraq its largest emergency loan in 30 years.  The 40 million dollar loan will be used for producing school text books for the 2004-05 academic year.

The money will allow for the publication of over 600 different texts for all subjects in 1st through 12th grade elementary and high-school education. Moreover, the World Bank is exploring the possibility of approving another 60 million dollar loan to restructure and equip Iraqi classrooms and other school facilities.

Iraqi education minister, Aladin Alwan, a die-hard reformist, said the proper goal would be create a new school system from scratch. He said it should be a new system which "takes into consideration the (country's) current reality" and reflects "Iraqi values and culture that go back thousands of years".

The education minister also said that school texts with racist and sectarian overtones will disappear off school shelves and in their place there will appear ones having universal values related to "religion, democracy, freedom of expression, human rights, justice, equality and tolerance." (PB)

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