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Baghdad Council has finished 40% of a project that aims to build 30 schools by 2013, at a cost of $26m, an official has announced. 
The Council had approved establishing 30 state owned schools, Mohammed Al Rabie’e, a member of the council said. He added that the schools would be built in Al Ma’amil, Al Husseiniya, Abu Ghraib and other districts.
According to a report by the Iraqi education ministry, the country needs 6,000 schools to replace facilities that are unfit for children. The ministry announced last year that it plans to build 699 schools across the country.
Dr Saady Farid, an economist and head of department at the Supreme Audit in Iraq, told Zawya that building schools was the top priority for Iraq, as schools were dilapidated and that investment in key areas such as education would help ensure the progress of Iraq.
