In May, construction firms paid by Iraq's Education Ministry began tearing down hundreds of old school buildings across the country under contracts requiring the companies to build bigger schools.
But the new schools have not been built and now the ministry says it doesn't have funds for new buildings. The full extent of the blunder became apparent this week with the start of Iraq's new school year.
Schools in Iraq now are either built from mud, or the worst type of cement that might collapse at any time, or even tents. This type of schools can never produce a new educated generation.