Promoting education: USAID and Sindh to teach 700,00 flood-affected children
The five-year programme will help the Sindh government build 200 new schools in eight districts.
KARACHI:
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to give Sindh $155 million for a five-year basic education programme.
USAID mission director Dr Andrew Sisson sealed the deal with the provincial additional chief secretary, Malik Asrar Husain, on Wednesday.
USAID will help the government build 200 new schools where nearly 700,000 children from eight of the flood-affected districts, including Khairpur, Dadu, Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Larkana, will be taught. While talking to Husain at Chief Minister House, Sisson said that by supporting education, the United States wanted to strengthen the foundation of Pakistan and let it have the modern technologies and skills to conquer the global market.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that the World Bank and European Union, who had supported the provincial government and financed the Sindh Education Reform Programme, had offered to give $300 million and 30 million Euros, respectively for their three-year reforms.
He added that the Americans had supported and helped Pakistan through the floods in Khairpur, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Dadu, Larkana and Kambar-Shahdadkot. He hoped that the education department would be able to construct the schools and provide good education in the districts with help from USAID.
Senior education minister Pir Muzharul Haq said that his department had launched many programmes, but most schools in the area were damaged because of the rains. The additional chief secretary said that USAID had committed to give the provincial government $155 million over five years, out of which $81 million would be used to implement the programme and $74 million would be spent directly by USAID. Nearly 120 schools with 1,800 classrooms would be constructed as part of the project.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2011.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to give Sindh $155 million for a five-year basic education programme.
USAID mission director Dr Andrew Sisson sealed the deal with the provincial additional chief secretary, Malik Asrar Husain, on Wednesday.
USAID will help the government build 200 new schools where nearly 700,000 children from eight of the flood-affected districts, including Khairpur, Dadu, Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Larkana, will be taught. While talking to Husain at Chief Minister House, Sisson said that by supporting education, the United States wanted to strengthen the foundation of Pakistan and let it have the modern technologies and skills to conquer the global market.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that the World Bank and European Union, who had supported the provincial government and financed the Sindh Education Reform Programme, had offered to give $300 million and 30 million Euros, respectively for their three-year reforms.
He added that the Americans had supported and helped Pakistan through the floods in Khairpur, Kashmore, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Dadu, Larkana and Kambar-Shahdadkot. He hoped that the education department would be able to construct the schools and provide good education in the districts with help from USAID.
Senior education minister Pir Muzharul Haq said that his department had launched many programmes, but most schools in the area were damaged because of the rains. The additional chief secretary said that USAID had committed to give the provincial government $155 million over five years, out of which $81 million would be used to implement the programme and $74 million would be spent directly by USAID. Nearly 120 schools with 1,800 classrooms would be constructed as part of the project.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2011.