Today, in most of Iraq, children are about to go back to school...

--George W. Bush, radio address, 9/25/04

In this second school year since the United States deposed Saddam Hussein, Iraqi education officials have twice put off the start of classes, citing instability in the provinces....

Education officials said the start of school had been postponed from Sept. 11 to Sept. 18, then to Oct. 2. The timing is still not entirely clear, with some children saying they were told Oct. 15. Other ministry officials said that because of a delay in financing, new textbooks would not be printed and fully distributed for another month or more....

--New York Times