Daily Times

LARKANA: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director for Sindh and Balochistan John Smith-Sreen and Interim Sindh Education Minister Saadia Rizvi today inaugurated a recently completed school constructed with the support of USAID.

Local notables, community elders, teachers, students, and parents were also present at this occasion. This new building for Government High School Vikya Sangi, Larkana, was constructed with the support of the U.S. government through the $155 million USAID Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP), in partnership with the Government of Sindh.

Speaking at the ceremony, Smith-Sreen said that the U.S. government is proud at their partnership with the Sindh government in the joint initiative of promoting education for all. He said, “We, along with our partners from the School Education and Literacy Department, focus on improving the quality and accessibility of education. The Sindh Basic Education Program is helping to improve the quality of teaching and increase access to safe learning opportunities for children, especially for girls.”

Abdul Wahab Soomro,the project director SBEP said that 106 modern schools are to be constructed in seven districts of Sindh and five towns of Karachi out of which only 34 schools have so far been completed and 72 are under construction. He  further said the purpose of this program is to enhance enrollment in primary, middle and secondary schools. He added that the establishment of these schools will also enhance competition among the students of various schools.

Interim Sindh Education Minister Saadia Rizvi expressed appreciation for USAID SBEP and the US government’s strong support in modernizing education in Sindh.

USAID’s SBEP is constructing 106 modern school buildings in seven districts of North Sindh and five towns of Karachi. Construction of 34 schools has already been completed, while 72 are under construction. The program aims to increase and sustain student enrollment in primary, middle, and secondary public schools in select areas of Sindh, with a special focus on providing opportunity for children who have dropped out of school. In addition to constructing schools, SBEP also supports the government’s reforms in education, community mobilization, public-private partnerships, and improving reading competencies of students in schools.