Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Unites Sates Consul General Brian Heath in
Karachi inaugurated a state-of-the-art school constructed under the USAID-funded Sindh Basic Education
Programme (SBEP) at Kouro Goth, in Khairpur district.

The consul general along with daughter of former president Asif Ali Zardari, Bakhtawar, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Education Secretary Fazallulah Pechuho, paid visit of Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto and placed floral wreaths on graves of former prime ministers Shaheed Zulifqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and offered Fateha.

A US consulate statement on Thursday said that this school is just one of over 100 state-of-the-art facilities that USAID is constructing in partnership with the government of Sindh. US Consul General Heath pointed out that the United States government strongly supports education in Pakistan. He said that he was delighted that the school and others like it will provide young boys and girls with a space to learn and to grow so they can help Pakistan unlock its full potential.

According to USAID Mission Director John Groarke, the USAID has helped rebuild or renovate more than 1,000 schools over the last five years. In many of the schools, the USAID has also supplied computers, science kits, books, and other educational materials.

The USAID-funded SBEP will construct approximately 106 modern school buildings at a cost of approximately Rs16 billion over five years in seven districts of northern Sindh and five towns in the provincial capital. Currently over 50 schools are under construction.

Ambassador Richard Olson and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah broke ground at the Kouro Goth School in 2014. It is the first of four schools that will be completed and handed over this month.

Aside from construction, the SBEP aims at increasing and sustain student enrollment in primary, middle, and secondary public schools in selected areas of Sindh. The Education and Literacy Department of the Sindh government is providing additional support of over Rs1 billion and the department has already signed agreements with two organisations to manage four schools in Khairpur and Sukkur districts.

USAID Senior Policy Adviser and Programme Manager of SBEP Dr Randy Hatfield, teachers, students and members of the community along with senior provincial officers also attended the ceremony.