ISLAMABAD, June 1: The European Union will extend 19 million euro (Rs540m) to assist the educational sector in Pakistan. The funding will mainly support the Aga Khan Foundation's Institute for Educational Development (IED), Phase-2.
The purpose of the EU contribution towards the 2nd phase of the IED is to strengthen its capacity to help ensure the sustainability of its educational programmes. The EU support is provided with a view to assist to improve the quality, effectiveness, relevance and outreach of education systems in Pakistan.
The project is the part of the EU's actions to make a sustainable impact in the education sector and will particularly target those communities that have benefited the least from economic growth by granting them access to an acceptable standard of education. This EU grant is indicative of the key importance attached to education, for further development of the country.
The EU support is given in the context of the EC Pakistan Development Co-operation Programme, under which the EU now has current grant commitments to Pakistan totalling over euro 200 million (equivalent to Rs10.8 bn). The signing ceremony for the conclusion of the grant contract took place here on Thursday and was presided over by the federal minister for education, Zubaida Jalal, in the presence of Ali Rattansey, vice chairman, Aga khan Foundation and Kurt Juul, ambassador, head of the European Commission delegation in Pakistan.
2 June 2001