- Title: Schools reopen in Mosul as Islamic State is pushed back
- Date: 24th January 2017
- Summary: EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) RESIDENTS WALKING IN A STREET IN MOSUL, GRAFFITI ON WALL READING (Arabic): ''Beware, unexploded bomb behind wall.'' PARENTS AND CHILD WALKING TOWARDS SCHOOL SCHOOL CHILDREN WALKING INTO SCHOOL PARENTS AND CHILDREN WALKING TOWARDS SCHOOL VARIOUS OF GRAVES IN THE SCHOOLYARD FEMALE STUDENTS WALKING INTO SCHOOL VARIOUS OF SCHOOLGIRLS RUSHING TO ENTER CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FORMER STUDENT UNDER ISLAMIC STATE, GHUFRAN, SAYING: ''They taught us things like one bullet plus one bullet equals two bullets and one bomb plus a one bomb... Their curriculum was very different.'' VARIOUS OF SCHOOLGIRLS IN CORRIDOR SCHOOLGIRL WRITING IN A BOOK VARIOUS OF CHILDREN BEING REGISTERED IN A CLASSROOM BY GIVING A FINGERPRINT, BOOKS BEING HANDED OUT OUTSIDE A CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEADMASTER OF BADAYEL SCHOOL FOR BOYS, OMAR KHUDOR ALI, SAYING: ''The most negative thing that happened is that most of the children ended up on the streets: those who went to the markets, those who became street kids, those who worked. Being on the streets teaches kids a lot of things. Our role is bigger now than it was two or three years ago because you need to deal with the kids' psychological state before you begin to teach them again.'' MOTHER AND CHILD LEAVING A ROOM SCHOOLBOYS IN A CLASSROOM SCHOOLBOY DRAWING IN A BOOK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEADMASTER OF BADAYEL SCHOOL FOR BOYS, OMAR KHUDOR ALI, SAYING: ''His name was Abul Monther, of Jordanian nationality. He threatened us when we did not show up at school. He told us word for word: 'We have hanged thousands of heads and we are prepared to hang the same number again." PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WALKING ALONG CORRIDOR IN THE SCHOOL THE SURA OF 'IQRAA' FROM THE KORAN INSCRIBED ON THE WALL OF THE SCHOOL SIGN OUTSIDE BOYS SCHOOL (Arabic) READING: ''KUFA SCHOOL FOR BOYS'' SCHOOLCHILDREN AND PARENTS WAITING TO ENTER SCHOOL VARIOUS OF SCHOOLCHILDREN MAKING VICTORY SIGN VARIOUS OF SCHOOLBOYS SITTING IN SCHOOLYARD SCHOOLBOYS DOING MORNING PHYSICAL EXERCISES GROUP OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN IN SCHOOLYARD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) COLLEGE STUDENT UNDER ISLAMIC STATE, AISHA MOHAMED, SAYING: ''We wanted to continue our education. We faced so much hardship in order to do that. We used to go to the college everyday fearing for our lives, we thought today either we live or we die. And despite that, we passed and we were really advanced in our studies. Is it possible that after three years of study, we are being asked to repeat, to go back to high school? This is so unfair.'' GROUP OF FEMALE STUDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TEACHER, SUNDOS SAADALLAH, SAYING: "It is for their future. What kind of future would the kids have if they are not educated, especially in this age of progress? If they don't know how to read or write, what good are they for?" PARENT HOLDING CHILDREN'S HANDS AS THEY LEAVE SCHOOL AT END OF DAY
- Embargoed: 7th February 2017 15:02
- Keywords: School Mosul Iraq Islamic State
- Location: MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Education,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00160FWJ7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Schools reopened in eastern Mosul on Monday (January 23), with teachers and students eager to make up for lost time during Islamic State's rule.
During the two and a half years under the militants, a vast majority of students dropped out.
Teachers and students face major hurdles, including psychological problems and a lack of resources.
Around 40,000 students will be back to school in the coming weeks as some 70 schools are set to open after checks for unexploded bombs.
At least one schoolyard in Mosul is littered with fresh graves from the fighting.
The city is coming back to life with markets and shops reopening and people selling once-prohibited goods such as cigarettes openly in the streets.
At one school, children run around the concrete yard wearing new bright blue school bags provided by Unicef, with buildings nearby turned to rubble.
Kufa school has a capacity of 500 students but has now registered 1,500 students in order to allow as many students as possible a chance to go back to study while their original schools are being rebuilt and re-equipped.
The school was among the few that escaped damage from the fighting. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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