Staff Reporter Islamabad
James Parys, USAID Regional Director Sindh and Balochistan Provinces while addressing a virtual seminar said working in the field of education was giving access to underprivileged students particularly girls and was of great value to both the US and Pakistan. The online seminar was on the work and significance of Sindh Basic Education Programme (SBEP), a mutual project of USAID and Sindh Government.
James Parys said he was impressed by the mutual work between USAID and Sindh Provincial Government’s School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) carried out in the educational field, which improves access and quality education for marginalized students, especially girls across the province. “This is a partnership programme between USAID and Sindh government, through which we put in place physical infrastructure”, he said, added that these schools are sustainable and well managed run by private people.
It is pertinent to mention that through the SBEP, USAID is building 106 state-of-the-art schools in Sindh to benefit up to 80,000 students in ten districts of Sindh. To date, 73 of the 106 schools have been completed and the remaining 33 schools are under various stages of construction. James Parys mentioned that this kind of sanctified programmes are exemplary, which shows how both the countries can work together for the betterment of people. “Working in the field of education broadly is very crucial for both the countries”, he said, added that “we have lots of common interests shared in the specific field of education.”
Through SBEP, USAID has also helped the government of Sindh pioneer the flagship public private partnership programme in the form of Education Management Organizations (EMOs) to work with private sector organizations to improve the operations of public schools and enhance students’ learning achievements. “Such enormous and valuable programmes are triumph for US and Pakistan both”, Mr. James Parys said. He hailed the people involved in such highly objective programmes, which are greatly constructive for students specially girls in the province.
He said that the Sindh Basic Education Programme (SBEP), was started in 2011, after heavy floods hit the province; we with the cooperation of the government, tried our level best to reach out to the affected areas and perform the work for the betterment of the educational field.
While replying to a question he said that the programme had started after the devastated floods in most parts of the province, soon after USAID started a very active partnership with the Sindh government. “Community mobilization is very important for elevating the education and standard of education. USAID with the collaboration of the government of Pakistan is working actively in different parts of the country for boosting up the education system and trying to bring every child to school.
On the occasion, Steven Susens, Senior Officer Development Communication and Outreach, said that the Sindh Basic Education Programme (SBEP) is the splendid and treasured programme, which includes not only providing education to students but building school buildings and other educational infrastructure as well. He said USAID and Pakistani government has got long partnership which profits people of the country in the field of education. This is one of the successive projects of the decade.
