WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama stressed on Tuesday the importance of rebuilding and modernizing schools in crumbling condition to create construction jobs, his latest effort to urge the Congress to pass a 447-billion-dollar jobs bill.

Speaking at a high school in Ohio, Obama said that his new proposal would create jobs for tens of thousands of constructions workers and improve the teaching conditions at schools nationwide.

Facing a sluggish economic growth and stubbornly high unemployment, Obama unveiled a job plan on September 8 including measures like payroll tax cuts for employers and employees as well as new investment in infrastructure projects.

As part of the jobs bill, the Obama administration is proposing a $25 billion investment in school infrastructure that will modernize at least 35,000 public schools.

Obama is expected to unveil his recommendations to balance the government's budget later this month,and propose a series of tax hikes to pay for his jobs bill.