Bricks and mortar will fill in the holes and bring back historic streetscapes, but the healing of Mosul, Iraq, will only be cemented by education, beginning with the youth of today and those that will come tomorrow.
By rebuilding education from the schoolhouse to the curriculum, UNESCO strives to empower the next generation of learners to build stronger and more resilient societies, so that history does not repeat itself.
Here is what we're doing:
To date, 26 trainers, 743 primary school teachers and managers, and 307 parents have completed UNESCO's Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education training. This project, funded by the Governments of the Netherlands and Japan, is based on a holistic approach that involves children, teachers, communities, parents and educational staff in the prevention of extremism.
UNESCO, in partnership with Educate-A-Child, is implementing a project that aims at providing access to quality and inclusive education with gender equality for 150,000 out-of-school children in Iraq.
600 schools have been reopened, giving over 500,000 children a chance to pursue education. The number of children back to school is increasing and the creation of an adapted curriculum is underway.
Working in the field of higher education will also be a key to rebuilding the country and its economy. For example, we are working in cooperation with students in the fields of archaeology, architecture and engineering at the University of Mosul, while in the process of rebuilding Al-Nouri Mosque, Al Saa'a and Al Tahera churches. This will create opportunities for technical and vocational education and on the job training for young professionals.
