Partnership for Education January 2009

Nearly 50 million Pakistanis (half the country's adult population) cannot read. Only 60 percent of Pakistani children complete 10 years of school and only 10 percent complete 12 years. Since 2002, USAID's education program has invested over $404 million to reform and revitalize Pakistan's education system. Currently, more than 600,000 children and 60,000 teachers benefit from USAID-funded education programs.
Improving Access through Infrastructure and Facilities
USAID increases access to education for Pakistanis by rehabilitating inadequate and damaged school facilities and building new ones, especially schools for girls. USAID has provided water and sanitation facilities to schools in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as well as constructing and equipping science and computer laboratories for teachers' colleges in several cities. USAID is also rehabilitating 60 schools, which will increase enrollment by 30 percent, benefiting 18,000 students, nationwide. Building upon these successes, USAID will fund the construction and rehabilitation of additional schools. To ensure that more Pakistani children attend school and graduate, USAID is expanding a school-feeding program in the most food insecure areas of Pakistan.
Improving Education Quality
To improve teacher performance and skills development, USAID's projects are upgrading the qualifications of current teachers and developing a comprehensive program for pre-service teacher training. Working closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE), USAID is developing national standards for accreditation and improving coordination among teacher training institutions. Together with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), USAID is working to institutionalize pre-service teacher education reforms. In other programs, USAID addresses students’ classroom learning needs through child-centered teaching methods, curriculum pacing guides, and reforms for better math and science learning.
Providing Opportunities and Promoting Collaboration
To develop a cadre of experts and leaders in the areas of civil service, education, civil society and business, USAID invests heavily in Pakistan's higher education institutions, merit and needs-based scholarships and international exchanges. The merit-and needs-based scholarship programs in conjunction with the HEC provide thousands of needy students with scholarships for degree programs at Pakistani universities. USAID also funds the largest Fulbright program in the world for Pakistanis, providing hundreds of student opportunities to obtain Masters and PhD degrees in the United States. USAID works with the HEC to develop a National Student Financial Aid System, critical to ensuring student access to sources of funding including grants, work study and loans.
Assisting higher education insitutions to better educate students, USAID supports a university partnership program between California State University and Pakistan's Fatima Jinnah Women University and Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University. In Lahore, USAID is working with Forman Christian College (FCC) to develop a four-year Bachelor's degree program and to strengthen its programs in basic science and information technology.
Together with the Ministry of Science and Technology and HEC, USAID supports the Pakistan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperative Program, implemented by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, to provide grants that support collaboration between Pakistani and U.S. scientists, engineers and health care specialists. This will promote Pakistani expertise and development in agriculture, water, health, and environmental sciences.