Press Releases 2008
U.S. Diplomat Emphasizes Need for Better English Communication Skills
August 21, 2008
Lahore – U.S. Consulate Lahore Principal Officer, Bryan D. Hunt, emphasized “the need for better English communication skills in the contemporary world” while speaking to graduates and faculty of the English ACCESS Micro-scholarship program in Lahore today.
“English ACCESS Micro-scholarship Program graduates now have enhanced English language skills,” Principal Officer Hunt remarked after being received by CARE Foundation Trustee Seema Aziz and faculty during his visit to graduation ceremony. He stated that “graduates of this program are now better equipped to gain admission to Pakistan’s universities and, in the future, participate in a job market which values communication skills.”
Principal Officer Hunt distributed certificates to the graduates of the program. Mr. Hunt and Public Affairs Officer Traci Mell attended the graduation ceremony and enjoyed the skits presented by the students.
The English ACCESS Micro-scholarship Program is an initiative of the U.S. State Department that provides an American-style classroom experience to underprivileged youth around the world. The goal of this two-year program is to adequately prepare bright students in written and spoken English so that they can gain admission to Pakistan’s universities, thus permitting them to compete more effectively with students who have studied in English-medium schools.
The first ACCESS program in Pakistan was started in 2004 with a two-year grant of $150,000 to the Lahore-based NGO Cooperation for Advancement, Rehabilitation and Education (CARE) Foundation. A total of 201 students graduated in this pilot program. Based on the extraordinary success of the pilot program, ACCESS Micro-scholarship Programs are running in Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Gwadar with 1,370 students benefiting from the program throughout Pakistan.
