Adult education programme benefits more than 1500 Iraqi students
The Salvation Army established a new adult education programme in Al Amarah, Iraq, on 28 February, 2004, with financial support from the Coalition Provisional Authority and in partnership with the Ministry of Education. More than 1,500 Iraqi students are now benefiting from these classes, which take place daily in 10 secondary schools after regular school classes have finished.
One hundred newly qualified but unemployed teachers are now working in this programme. For most of them it is their first teaching appointment since graduating from teacher training. The education department has appointed two supervisors who visit the schools each day to inspect the programme. The head teachers of the ten schools are responsible for overseeing this additional education programme in their classrooms.
Mr Laithe (director of education for the Maysan province) is delighted to see so many young people benefiting through the programme. Although initially conceived as an ‘adult’ education programme, these additional classes are attracting many teenagers who wish to catch up with the education they believed was lost to them in recent years.
Subjects being taught in the programme are Arabic, Mathematics, English, Physics and Computing (IT). The programme will operate for a period of three months, but it has proven to be so successful that Mr Laithe is already seeking support to extend it beyond this period.
Project Officer – Iraq Community Recovery Programme
