Al Nassir School Gets Face-lift

Multi-National Force - Iraq ^ | Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA

[SandRat]

An Iraqi worker adds a fresh coat of white paint to one of the buildings comprising the al Nassir School in al Buaytha, March 25. Coalition forces are funding repair of the school's four buildings. Before al-Qaida was driven from the area, the school was hit several times by mortars, causing structural damage. Photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs.

FOB KALSU — The al Nassir Elementary School is once again a kid-friendly place where area children can go to study.

The school, which suffered severe damage while al-Qaida dominated the area, is now getting a face-lift thanks to the efforts of local residents and Coalition forces.

Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, paid a visit to the school to view work being done by a local construction crew, March 25.

In the two months since the project began, school headmaster Mohammed Hussein Mohammed said the school is returning to its former glory.

Both girls and boys in grades 1 through 6 attend classes in the four buildings that comprise the school. Currently, 17 teachers work in the school, instructing more than 550 children from the communities of al Buaytha and Arab Jabour, Mohammed said.

First Lt. Bryan Diminico, platoon leader of 1st Platoon, was pleased by the progress. In addition to aesthetic improvements such as painting and filling in holes in the walls and ceilings, new electrical wiring has been laid down and a water pump installed to provide plumbing.

"It is getting better-looking each and every day," the Hollywood, Fla., native said.

Still, much work remains to be done, Mohammed said. The school is 50-years-old and needs to be refurbished. Work needs to be done on all the buildings, even those currently housing classes.

To both educate students and improve the school simultaneously, classrooms are being rotated, said Staff Sgt. Phillip Moore, tank commander. Once classrooms are renovated, students move in and the rooms they vacate are worked on, the Columbus, Ohio native said.

Diminico promised future meetings to discuss funding and improvements with Mohammed, who will also meet with a representative of the Iraqi Ministry of Education, Satar Mohammad Katham.

Mohammed said he is in regular contact with Katham, and the Government of Iraq is paying the teachers and showing a vested interest in the welfare of the school.

Such interest is necessary to provide a better future for the area, Mohammed said. Many adults in al Buaytha cannot read or write, something he wants to see change in the new generation.

"We need to provide them education and knowledge," he said. "They need to know how to read and write."

[SandRat]

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