KARACHI: Various projects in Sindh are in progress with the grant of USAID $241 million dollar funds, said Chief Minister of the province Syed Murad Ali Shah here on Monday.
“These are major interventions in education, health and municipal services sectors.” he said. The projects are Basic Education Program (SBEP), Municipal Services Delivery Programme (MSDP), Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS).
This he said while talking to Mr John Hoover, deputy chief of Mission US Embassy Islamabad and Ms Grace Shelton, US Consul General in Karachi who called on him here at the CH House today. The meeting was attended by Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem and Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput.
He said that he has already declared emergency in education and health sectors while special focus is being given to improve municipal services. “USAID has made some important interventions and I am personally monitoring them so that targeted population of the province can take benefit from the schemes,” he said.
It may be noted that since 2011, USAID in partnership with the provincial government has been implementing the SBEP for $165 million, including $10 million the Sindh government share. Through this partnership the SBEP improves the quality and access to education for children in Sindh by increasing and sustaining student enrollment at the primary, middle, and secondary school levels. The program is being implemented in seven districts of Northern Sindh and five towns of Karachi.
The chief minister said that Programme Management and Implementation Unit (PMIU) has been established in School Education Department. It comprises on four sections such as construction management, Learning Reforms and Community Mobilization, Back Office Services, and Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
He elaborated that major Components of SBEP include building of 106 new schools with1400 classrooms in flood-affected and other areas. Improvement of reading and numeracy skills of 750,000 children over five years, engaging up to 400 communities in the construction, operation and maintenance of schools over five years and establish effective public/private partnerships to manage these schools and ensure enrollment of at least 100,000 girls.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that major targets of the programme are to increase knowledge and professional skills of 25,000 primary school teachers, particularly in Reading and Mathematics. “It also aimed at providing non-formal educational opportunities to 100,000 out-of-school children to enable 50,000 to transit to formal schools,” he said and added there is a target to provide capacity building opportunities to 500 government officials to implement the Sindh Government Education Reforms, increase availability of adequate health care facilities for children and train 500 government district offices/supervisors, teachers, head-teachers in developing, implementing and monitoring of Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Maths Assessment (EGMA).
The US diplomats said that they will launch more schemes under the USAID for the people of Sindh.
Source: Published at: October 31, 2017 at 12:28AM