PAL- C Applauds USAID Launch of $90 Million Project to Improve Education in Pakistan

Students welcome the Administrator of USAID and Director of Foreign Assistance,

Henrietta H. Fore, at a USAID-supported school in Islamabad.

Islamabad, April 24, 2008: The United States Director of Foreign Assistance and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Henrietta H. Fore, and Federal Minister for Education Ahsan Iqbal today launched a $90 million project to strengthen basic education in Pakistan.

"Pakistan's basic education system must earn the trust and confidence of the parents that their children will receive quality education," said Ms. Fore. "We want to help in building a system that delivers on its promises."

The new project, ED-LINKS, is designed to improve teachers education, increase students learning, better learning environments and strengthen the ability of the public education sector to provide high-quality, effective services to students and teachers. ED-LINKS will operate in Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

"It is up to the government and people of Pakistan to define the country's goals for educating its citizens, to create the will to work toward those goals, and to mobilize the resources that will turn the goals into reality," USAID's Henrietta H. Fore said while encouraging the Government of Pakistan to address Pakistan's educational needs in a concentrated, coordinated way that reaches every level of education.

While in Pakistan, Ms. Fore also met with Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gillani and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. During the meeting, Ms. Fore reviewed U.S. development assistance to Pakistan and reiterated the United States government's commitment to help Pakistan address its development challenges. The commitment includes the provision of $750 million in projects to support development in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Since 2002, USAID has provided more than a quarter of a billion dollars to reform and revitalize Pakistan's educational system.

The Pakistani American Leadership Center (PAL-C) is a professional Pakistani-American advocacy organization with an office located on Capitol Hill. It launched the Congressional Pakistan Caucus in May 2004 and works to raise awareness about Pakistani-American interests in Washington policy circles. Our activities include facilitating the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, liaising Pakistani officials and the community with Members of Congress, and mobilizing all Pakistani-Americans at the grassroots level. If you wish to learn more about PAL-C, please visit our website www.pal-c.org or email us at info@pal-c.org.

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