TEHRAN – The sixth five-year national development plan (2016-2021) has predicted a total budget of $3 billion to be allocated for rebuilding and retrofitting old schools across the country, director of the organization for renovation, development and equipment of schools has said.

There are some 107,000 schools nationwide with 530,000 classes, 160,000 of which are dilapidated, not meeting safety standards, ISNA quoted Mehrollah Rakhshanimehr as saying on Wednesday.

“However, after 2 years the budget has not been allocated yet,” he lamented.

He went on explain that 30 percent of the schools nationwide are old, of which some 12 percent must be completely rebuilt and 18 percent must be retrofitted.

Renovation of schools and meeting the necessary standards requires a considerable amount of budget, however, current government funding and annual budgets are by no means enough, he added.

In the Iranian calendar year 1382 (March 2003-March 2004), the proportion of standard schools to old ones was the opposite, 30 percent of schools met required standards and the rest were old, he highlighted, adding, “in the fifth five-year development plan some $4 billion was allocated from the forex reserve fund to rebuild and retrofit the old schools.”

Currently, a total budget of $3 billion is needed to rebuild and renovate the remaining 30 percent of the schools, he concluded.

FB/MG