I'm just going to lead right off with it:
I don't know why the ministry doesn't spend more money on schools.
Quoted from the headmaster of a school in Baghdad in this BBC article on going back to school in Iraq.
Where are our priorities right now in Iraq? We can sink $1bn into Blackwater but can't make sure the poor kids that are still stuck in Baghdad have a freaking history teacher? It's a good thing that this administration doesn't have to be held accountable for anything, because they would have a heck of a time trying to rectify this with the PR line that this is a great humanitarian crusade with the singular mission to rid the poor Iraqis of a brutal and maniacal dictator and free the world from 9/11 terrists.
I guess public education is overrated anyway. Just like here in the U.S., underfunded public schools are failing and can easily be replaced with private schools run by corporations or, even better, religious institutions. Maybe we should start a faith-based initiative in Iraq. Instead of risking the amalgamation of their students into a single diverse society, let the parents choose which private school their child is indoctrinated in!