A short but interesting article this morning in the Scotsman about the start of a new school term in Iraq. Teachers are editing Sadam pictures and ideology out of text books, repairing damaged schools, and wondering what the new school year will bring.

There are a series of comments that portend some apprehension on behalf of educators, but primarily in the areas of school buildings and equipment. It appears that Bechtel was given £408M to rebuild the schools there, but claims are that the subcontracting practice diluted the effectiveness. More information on their efforts in the reconstruction are detailed on their Iraq Reconstruction Program site.

Additional information is available in the form of Revitalizing Education, an Iraq Update from USAID. Mostly pictures and stats, it says that there's a lot of stuff going on to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Oh, by the way, if you are wondering who is getting what money from USAID for what work, you can check out their contracts page.