Iraq's only ballet and music school faces funding crisis

Source- http://www.wral.com/iraq-s-only-ballet-and-music-school-faces-funding-crisis/15556549/
Iraq's only ballet and music school which has lasted through decades of war, also sanctions and dictatorship. Now faces a bigger problem which is funding this is due to low oil prices and the costly war against the Islamic State group. On the current boys and girls in their leotards and ballet shoes warm up on the bar and the other room of boys and girls who play in an orchestra, also tuning cellos and plucking notes on a Middle Eastern string instrument know as ouds. Even though their problem is funding the ballet teachers and orchestra teachers still get paid but the funds for buying equipment and instrument are drying up, which is leading the teachers to cancelled of performances. Which is raising concerns for the school, that one day the school may only serve the wealthy or close altogether which was originally was based on talent alone. One of the teachers who studied at the school for ballet as a little girl and now is an instructor her name is Leezan Salam fears for the future of arts in Iraq. She saids "Our situation is very difficult". The school of ballet and music was first built in 1969, when the funding wasn't a problem because of a party named Saddam Hussein's secular
party until it failed by it was imposed on the country following the gulf war in 1991. But in time the fortunes for the schooled improved after 2003 when the U.S-led invasion, when the economy began to recover, so the school remained opened during the worst of the sectarian fighting that erupted three years later. Unfortunately Iraq got caught in a war between the Islamic State group, which it controls pretty much all of the country's north and west, also struggling with a refugee crisis. So they needed $4 billon a month to pay employees of the government, which oil prices near record lows, so the income is only half that, that officials predicted a budget deficit of more than $30 billion.  Which Baghdad is having problems to make the ends meet, and that's when people are starting to fear for the arts because that's what will be the first to go. Which a lot of people say all these governments care about politics and religion. The ballet and music school had in years past relied on donations from the embassies, cultural institutions and private donors abroad. The budget this year is only just a quarter it was three years ago. Its very sad  to say that the applications are very high, like almost 200 students had to be turned away because the school simply didn't have the space. The school is not like a normal school because the instruments, costumes, and ballet shoes cost more money than just textbooks. So for a years worth of supplies and maintenance for the school coast $45,000. In the beginning of the article I talking about how the teachers had to cancel performs well its because they don't have the necessary costumes or instrument. Salam saids "Fears the cost of losing the arts could be far higher. Without this school, Iraq would have a whole generation that's less accepting, less open minded. This school helps people learn to accept, it will ensure us a more peaceful future. at least that's what I hope.

My reaction to this is deeply sadden because I play and instrument and I dance. To mean I think it's something you can do to get your mind off whats going on in your life and just have fun for once and forget whats going on in the world. To me I think his school probally means a lot to them its like a safe haven its somewhere they can go and do what they love and not worry about the wars going on.