ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Under the leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the Education Department has achieved another historic milestone, with an agreement reached for the return of 60,000 out-of-school children to schools and the construction of 135 schools.
According to a Prime Minister Faisal Rathore’s post on social media, the Rs7 billion Out-of-School Children Project, supported by the Islamic Development Bank, which had been delayed for a long time, has now officially entered its operational phase.
In this regard, an agreement between the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Pakistan was formally signed at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad.
The signing ceremony was attended by a high-level mission from the Islamic Development Bank, led by Dr. Rami Ahmad, Vice President (Operations), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The agreement was signed by Dr. Rami Ahmad, Vice President (Operations), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs Division, Government of Pakistan, while Syed Shahid Mohiuddin Qadri, Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education, represented Azad Kashmir.
Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, on this occasion, specially thanked the Islamic Development Bank and the Government of Pakistan, stating that this agreement will open new doors for educational development in Azad Kashmir and enable significant progress in solving the problem of out-of-school children.
The Prime Minister also congratulated the Minister of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education, Dewan Ali Chughtai, the Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the IsDB Project Management Unit (PMU) team, who played a key role in the preparation, approval, and finalization of the PC-I for this project.
Under this mega project, 60,000 out-of-school children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be re-enrolled in the education system.
The total cost of the project is approximately Rs7 billion, which will be borne by the Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah), Education Above All (EAA), and the Turkey-based organization, with the lead partner organization ALIGHT in collaboration with the Government of Azad Kashmir.
135 new schools under the project
Under this project, 135 new schools will be constructed, teachers will receive professional training, School Management Committees will be established and their capacity enhanced, IT-based education will be promoted, students will be provided with free textbooks and school uniforms, seminars and campaigns for public educational awareness (responsibility of ALIGHT) will be conducted, and 250 informal education schools will also be established, which will be the responsibility of the lead partner ALIGHT.
In these schools, children will be educated under the Accelerated Learning Program so that they can complete basic educational stages in a shorter period and join the formal education system.
This project, launched with the support of the Islamic Development Bank, will prove to be a significant milestone in significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children, improving educational standards, and promoting quality education in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
It is worth noting that hundreds of educational institutions destroyed in the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir have not yet been rebuilt.
