Report: Western aggression destroyed 3,800 schools in Iraq, Iraqi minister

Western aggression against Iraq has destroyed 3,800 schools since 1991, the Iraqi education minister said.

Fahd Salim al-Shoukra, who was interviewed by the Moroccan Al-Ittihad Al-Ichtiraqi daily, said the number represents 25 percent of educational buildings in Iraq.

He added that although Iraq managed to rebuild several schools, it was impossible to rehabilitate some other institutions. This situation, he said, harmed the education level in Iraq, which was before 1991 in an advanced position compared to other Arab nations.

The lack of books and devaluation of the Iraqi currency are among the factors that contributed to the fall in the Iraqi educational level.

The economic sanctions imposed on Iraq and the shortage of food and medicines also harmed the pupils' psychological and intelligence growth, al-Shoukra said.

The minister, who recalled that Iraq had completely eradicated illiteracy in 1982 (Baghdad won at the time a UNESCO Prize), said increased poverty because of the embargo has pushed several families to stop sending their children to school and the government, which used to sanction families for not sending their children to school, can no longer do that because of the sanctions.

Instead of going to school, children are compelled to work as newspaper hawkers, he said.