New York (dpa) – An estimated 1.2 million Libyan children were to return to school for the first time since the popular unrest against the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi, the United Nations Children's Fund said Friday. UNICEF said schools were to reopen on Saturday as Libya's education ministry has distributed 10 million of the 27 million school textbooks which have been printed for the occasion. But Libya's schools remain short of books, desks and transportation facilities for the children as they prepared to return to classes, UNICEF added. “This is a massive operation and a huge achievement for the people of Libya,” said Maria Calivis, UNICEF's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said. UN agencies, including UNICEF, had been assisting the transitional government in Tripoli to clear rubble, landmines and unexploded ordnance from schools and renovate the buildings in time for the school opening, Calivis said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/YRIoL Tags: Children, Libya, Schools, United Nations Section: Latest News, Libya