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.