Press Releases 2008
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A student at a USAID-supported school in Islamabad explains a science experiment to the Administrator of the USAID and Director of Foreign Assistance, Henrietta H. Fore, and Federal Minister for Education Ahsan Iqbal.
USAID Launches $90 Million Project to Improve Education in Pakistan
04/24/2008
Islamabad -- The United States Director of Foreign Assistance and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Henrietta H. Fore, and Federal Minister for Education Ahsan Iqbal today launched a $90 million project to strengthen basic education in Pakistan.
“Pakistan's basic education system must earn the trust and confidence of the parents that their children will receive quality education,” said Ms. Fore. “We want to help in building a system that delivers on its promises.”
The new project, ED-LINKS, is designed to improve teachers education, increase students learning, better learning environments and strengthen the ability of the public education sector to provide high-quality, effective services to students and teachers. ED-LINKS will operate in Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
“It is up to the government and people of Pakistan to define the country's goals for educating its citizens, to create the will to work toward those goals, and to mobilize the resources that will turn the goals into reality,” USAID’s Henrietta H. Fore said while encouraging the Government of Pakistan to address Pakistan’s educational needs in a concentrated, coordinated way that reaches every level of education.
While in Pakistan, Ms. Fore also met with Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gillani and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. During the meeting, Ms. Fore reviewed U.S. development assistance to Pakistan and reiterated the United States government’s commitment to help Pakistan address its development challenges. The commitment includes the provision of $750 million in projects to support development in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Since 2002, USAID has provided more than a quarter of a billion dollars to reform and revitalize Pakistan’s educational system.
