Baghdad boys' school opens

BAGHDAD, March 17 (UPI) -- Progress on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a boys' school in Baghdad moved along quickly enough to reopen the school a month ahead of schedule.

Insurgent violence in the capital city last summer interrupted classes at the Al-Qudis Preparatory School for boys, and the bombing of a nearby television studio closed classes entirely. But the improved security situation and the work of Iraqi contractors under a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program brought the facility back to its full capacity, the Corps said in a statement.

"All the school was damaged from the blast. But now, with the rehabilitation, the school is more beautiful than before," said a teacher through a translator.

The facility needed major renovations to the in-house plumbing, as well as masonry improvements and a replacement of the building's electrical wiring system. It even got new landscaping and gardening, the Corps said.

"Here's a good example of the way things are supposed to work," said the Corps' Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Smith of the $568,000 project.

The engineering concept and design came from Iraqi contractors. Local residents worked on the project as well. The contractor also employed the use of day laborers from the Mansour district of eastern Baghdad.

The school offers college preparatory courses in literature and science to about 500 Iraqis.