ISLAMABAD - The European Union (EU) is disbursing nearly Rs 2.2 billion (EUR 10 million) to the government of Sindh to strengthen the implementation of provincial education policies.
This is the second payment of a EUR 42 million grant, made available through budget support by the European Union under the Development through Enhanced Education Programme (DEEP).
This direct financial support creates opportunities to accelerate access to quality education for all children in the Sindh province, as a foundation for future training and skills development and engagement in productive employment.
The programme fully aligns with the Sindh School Education Sector Plan & Roadmap 2019-2024 with a focus on priority reform areas in governance, enrolment and teaching quality. UNICEF provides complementary technical assistance to strengthen the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department’s (SELD) responsive capacity and systems to plan, manage and deliver quality and equitable education.
The Sindh Minister for Education, Syed Sardar Ali Shah highlighted, “Education continues to be one of the key priority areas for government of Sindh. We aim at improving access to equitable, inclusive and quality education for all to realise their fullest potential and contribute to the development of society and economy, thus creating sense of nationhood, inculcating values of tolerance, social justice and democracy. SELD has come a long way in remodelling the edifice of education in collaboration with the donors, development partners and civil society.”
The minister said the contribution of European Union in the shape of development through enhanced education with budgetary support allocation of €42 million is quite commendable.
This will not only help in carry out the activities of Education Sector plan 2019-24, but also bring forth the quality education in Sindh.”
“Education and learning are fundamental to development and growth. We welcome the latest reform implementation measures by the Government of Sindh; these include the updated school clustering policy and continuous professional development model for teachers as well as the increased digitalisation of monitoring systems,” commented Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr Riina Kionka. “A lot, however, still remains to be done with an estimated 6 million children who are still out of school, of which over half are girls.
The European Union remains a committed partner to the government of Sindh in improving the quality of education and ensures access for all boys and girls in the province.”
The European Union’s support to primary and secondary education is a priority area under the European Union-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan, which serves as a guide for bilateral relations between the two sides and aims to further enhance engagement and work towards addressing emerging global challenges.
Education is one of the most important pillars of the Sindh government through which it enhances technical and professional skills of people so that they can play their due role in the development of country.
The Sindh Education & Literacy Department was established with the aim of fulfilling the state’s responsibility of providing basic education to its people.
The government of Sindh stands committed to universalise education under the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013. Under the Act, the government’s top priority is to provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years.
In Pakistan, the European Union is committed to a stable, democratic and pluralistic country that respects human rights and benefits from its full economic potential by supporting sustainable and inclusive development for all its citizens. The European Union provides Pakistan with about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. Among other issues, the European Union supports Pakistan in its efforts to tackle poverty, increase education, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
The European Union is the world’s top provider of budget support. It involves direct financial transfers to the national treasury of partner countries engaging in sustainable development reforms. These transfers are conditional on policy dialogue, performance assessment, and capacity building.