Photo By Staff Sgt. Chad Nelson | A worker with Brother Group Construction and Services gathers concrete to lay on the...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — With the support of U.S. Army-operated Iraq-based Industrial Zone, the local village of Al Khanik, Iraq, is nearing its construction of a new school, a project that demonstrates both cooperation and communication between U.S. forces and Iraqi leadership.
Before construction began, Chairman Arif, the chairman of the Tikrit City Council, made sure the Iraq ministry of education agreed with the construction of a new school and figured out where it would be placed, said Capt. Calvin Fisher, the I-BIZ officer in charge.
"We find the contractors, work out the price and make sure deadlines are being met," said Fisher, who said construction began in November 2009, when the 3rd Infantry Division took over operations of I-BIZ.
In order to ensure construction stays on schedule, and quality work is being done, Fisher receives daily photos of the project and visits the site once a week. During a site visit, Fisher saw the small construction team laying mortar and cement blocks in an effort to finish on schedule.
According to Ali A. Latif, the foreman for Brother Group Construction and Services, the crew has been working six days a week in order to meet the construction deadline and some workers even sleep in an unfinished room of the school to cut down on travel time between their village and the work site.
Under the watchful eye of Fisher, the school is scheduled to be finished sometime this February.
Villagers are overjoyed that the 150-student school is nearing its grand opening. This school, which will accommodate 6 to 12-year-olds, will replace an older, smaller school with only three classrooms that could only accommodate 6 to 8-year-olds.
"This is going to be our pride in the area," said village sheik Mokhtar Hishaam Ibrahim. He went on to say all the children from the old school would be attending the new school, and even more children would be attending.
"This is going to be the gem and the foundation of the community," said Lt. Col. Nora Marcos, battalion commander of the Division Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division.
Even the children are getting excited about attending the new school.
"We have two classes in one room in the old school," said one local child. He went on to say he's looking forward to bigger rooms with fewer children in each class.
The children are really focused on the one thing small children across the world focus on when they think of school.
"The playground will be a lot nicer," said the child before running off with his friends to play with a new soccer ball.
Most importantly, there is the hope that this school will bring a sense of normalcy and stability to this small Iraqi village. Most people believe that investing in a child's future is the best way to ensure a better country. With the construction of this school, and many more that are currently being built across Iraq, the children of Iraq will be better able to improve their country, as well.
No one understands the importance of schools as well as Marcos, whose parents are both educators in the United States.
"More important than building schools is educating children," she said. "Anything we can do to give them the facilities and the means will give them a leg up. [The children] need to be educated here and contribute to the growth and success of this country."
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2010 19:31 |
| Story ID: | 44664 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 153 |
This work, I-BIZ, Iraqis Near Completion of New Village School, by SSG Chad Nelson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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