Embassy of the United States

Press Releases 2007

USAID Pakistan Mission Director Anne Aarnes giving away certificates to a female participant over the successful completion of USAID-funded teachers’ training program.

USAID Teachers Training Workshop Concludes

Islamabad - As part of USAID-funded Interactive Teaching and Learning Program, approximately 150 school teachers and head teachers completed here today a 12-day training workshop on interactive teaching and learning methods and were awarded certificates of achievement.

“As teachers, you have a heavy responsibility to contribute in building the future of Pakistan,” USAID/Pakistan Mission Director Anne Aarnes said while addressing the trainee teachers. “It is your dedication, talent and energy that will give children the skills and confidence they need to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

Appreciating the Program implemented by USAID’s partner Children’s Resource International (CRI) Pakistan, Ms. Aarnes informed that it had trained over 1,600 teachers in 399 schools of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi in child-centered teaching and learning.

“We are fully committed to helping the Government of Pakistan in its broad and ambitious initiative to strengthen education throughout the country,” said Ms. Aarnes. “The education reforms that Pakistan is engaged in are crucial to enable the people of Pakistan to lead better and more prosperous lives,” she added.

Also present on the occasion were Director Training & Colleges Federal Directorate of Education, Prof. Rafiq Tahir and CRI Chief, Mehnaz Aziz.

The 12-day training workshop was the last in a series of 21 trainings started in June this year for school teachers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

Besides training of teachers, the $7.8 million Interactive Teaching and Learning Program has so far equipped nearly 800 elementary schools with new learning materials, and taught basic literacy and math skills to over 3,600 parents.

Support for this Program is part of the $1.5 billion in aid that the U.S. Government is providing to Pakistan, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), over five years to improve education, health, economic growth, governance and for earthquake reconstruction.