USAID, SINDH GOVERNMENT BREAK GROUND AT KARACHI SCHOOL

Karachi –U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gregory Gottlieb and Sindh Minister for EducationNisar Ahmed Khuhro broke ground at the DambaGoath government school in Gadap Town. The event kicked off USAID-funded school construction in Karachi, under its Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP).   “This groundbreaking represents only one part of the broader U.S. commitment to expanding access to education for all Pakistanis, especially girls,” said Mission Director Gottlieb. “Besides building schools, the U.S. government offers many scholarship, exchange and teacher training programs.” These, said Mr. Gottlieb are designed to increase opportunities for Pakistan’s younger generation and improve Pakistan’s economic and employment conditions. “Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the lives of children and young adults,” said USAID Provincial Director Leon S. Waskin. “USAID’s educational programs, such as SBEP, focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning as well as increasing equitable access to safe learning opportunities for children.” Also present at the groundbreaking ceremony were USAID Senior Policy Advisor and Program Manager SBEP Dr. Randy Hatfield, Sindh Education Secretary FazlullahPechuhoand MPA Muhammad SajidJokhio as well as Sindh Department of Education and Literacy officials and teachers, students, and members of the community.   About the Sindh Basic Education Program USAID is providing $155 million to fund SBEP with the Sindh government offering $10 million as part of a cost-share arrangement. As part of the program, USAID is helping the Sindh government construct 120 large schools, including those in flood-affected areas. USAID is building schools in Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Kashmore and Dadu Districts of Sindh along with Kemari, Liyari, Orangi, Gaddap and Bin Qasim towns of Karachi. Construction is underway in Khairpur, Sukkur, and Larkana. The program also works with communities to improve school management and increase girls’ enrollment while improving the reading skills of 750,000 children in targeted areas of the province.