Husayniyah opens new primary school

BABIL - The school is located in a rural area of Husayniyah, which allows access for the children in the local farming areas to attend classes without much travel. The new facility also has an outside play area and basketball court.

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Local Iraqis, Karbala PRT members, members of the provincial govt, and soldiers from the 3rd ACR gathered at the entrance to mark the opening of the school. Mr. Drew Blakeney, Karbala PRT Leader, was given the honor of cutting the ribbon to signify the opening of the school. "This school is serving a community that previously didn't have any schools. Now we expect about 250 kids to start using the school right away," said Blakeney. The project makes this school one of more than 500 built in Iraq since 2003. The PRT has 4 more ongoing school projects in the Karbala Prov. "We see a good cooperative effort between the local councilmen, the provincial council and, of course, the national govt in establishing this school, and providing the educational foundation for the children here," said Brig. Gen. Randal Dragon, USD -S Dep. Comm. Gen. for Support. "The school is part of the agreement between Iraq and the U.S., to make education a major concern for the newly established govt. PRTs in Iraq have also refurbished approx 2,500 schools in Iraq," said Blakeney. In addition, the PRT has given more than 2.3 million textbooks, and trained 33,000 teachers.

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