Japan awards grant for education project

Islamabad:Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Akamatsu Shuichi on Thursday underscored the importance of education in fostering a country's development and prosperity.

“Education plays a central role in Japan’s Official Development Assistance, an arm of the foreign affairs ministry, from its own experience of achieving its economic growth by emphasising education,” the ambassador said during a grant agreement signing ceremony at the Japanese Embassy. The grant, totalling $44,025 (around Rs12.2 million), was awarded to a local NGO for a development project in Tarnol on the outskirts of Islamabad.

The funding comes through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects Programme. The recipient NGO, which has been active for 15 years in education, health and infrastructure sectors, will use the grant to build a school and furnish it in Ramzania village, enhancing the school’s capacity to provide a better learning environment for more children in the area. The new school will serve students from pre-school to the fifth grade, welcoming both boys and girls, and creating a more conducive learning environment.