USAID, Sindh govt break ground at Karachi school

Karachi
US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gregory Gottlieb and Sindh Minister for Education Nisar Ahmed Khuhro broke ground at the Dumba Goth government school in Gadap Town on Thursday.
The event kicked off USAID-funded school construction in Karachi under its Sindh Basic Education Programme (SBEP), said a statement issued by the Public Affairs Office of the US consulate.
“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 Gottlieb, were 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 Adviser and Programme Manager SBEP Dr Randy Hatfield, Sindh Education Secretary Fazlullah Pechuho and MPA Muhammad Sajid Jokhio as well as Sindh Department of Education and Literacy officials and teachers, students and members of the community. USAID is providing $155 million to fund the SBEP with the Sindh government offering $10 million as part of a cost-share arrangement.
As part of the programme, USAID is helping the 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 programme 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.