BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 27, 2004 — Nearly all of Baghdad’s schools have benefited from a grant program to make repairs and purchase supplies which was funded by CPA’s Baghdad Central office, according to Coalition Provisional Authority officials.

To date, 1,564 out of approximately 1,700 schools have benefited from $750 grants for repairs and supplies of their choice from the Baghdad School Teacher/Parent Program.

Parents, teachers and local Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) members were required to complete a process of consultation to determine their school’s highest priorities for funding. The headmaster of each school was then responsible for carrying out the improvements.

Items purchased included improvements to the insides of the buildings such as curtains, carpets, window glass, doors, locks, paint and minor plumbing and electrical equipment. Outside improvements included gardening tools such as shovels, trowels and buckets, sports equipment such as soccer balls and goalposts. Classroom improvements included chairs, desks and school supplies such as stationary, chalk and chalkboards, art supplies and maps.

In many cases the funding brought additional value through volunteers using purchased supplies to make plumbing repairs, plant a garden or apply paint.

The process of organizing how to spend this comparatively small grant helped to determine what larger, more expensive projects should be acted on at each school when funding is available.

For example, the parent/teacher teams identified the extent of repairs needed and cost estimates for bathrooms, water fountains, air cooling systems, computers and copiers. In one case, construction debris left behind by a contractor was identified and removed at the contractor’s expense, without cost to the grant program.

In addition to making physical improvements to the schools, the program has established a process for parents, teachers and school administrators to work together to improve education for students.