Sindh Gov't Hands Over 32 Schools, Including 13 Of USAID To Private Parties For Operation

Sindh Chief MinisterSyed Murad Ali Shah has appreciated the continued support of the U.S. government in modernizing education in the province on Monday

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Sep, 2021 ) :Sindh Chief MinisterSyed Murad Ali Shah has appreciated the continued support of the U.S. government in modernizing education in the province on Monday.

He acknowledged that Sindh Basic Education Program has been a successful initiative which was breaking new grounds and setting new standards. He said this during a meeting held to witness ceremony of concession agreements between the�Sindh-Government and Education Management Organizations (EMOs)�here at CM House.� The ceremony was attended by Minister Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah,�United States Consul General Mark Stroh and other officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

These agreements have been inked to outsource the operational management of�32 schools, including�13�USAID Schools�to the private sector.

The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials from the U.S. government,�Sindh�School Education SBEP partners and�the�EMOs.� On behalf of Sindh government Secretary Education, Akbar Laghari and office bearers from three successful EMOs�-�Sindh Madressah-tul-Islam board (SMB), Dare-e-Arqam Schools (Pvt.) Ltd. and MDZed (Pvt) limited, signed the agreements to manage these schools for a period of 10 years.

Under these agreements, SMB will manage 4-newly constructed schools through USAID support and 10 other Sindh government�Schools in district Malir�and�west districts of Karachi.� The�Dare-e-Arqam Schools (Pvt.) Ltd will manage�four�newly constructed schools grouped schools in district Qambar Shahdadkot�and MDZed (Pvt) limited will manage�five�newly constructed schools and�five�other�Sindh�government schools in districts Kashmore and Jacobabad.� The U.S. government through USAID is contributing $159.2 million for the SBEP whereas the�Sindh government is also providing $10 million cost share for the same.� The project aims�at increasing and sustaining the enrollment of young students by developing a conducive learning environment in�Sindh government's�schools in select areas of the province with a special focus on bringing girls back to the schools who have dropped out of schools.

� In addition to constructing schools, SBEP also strengthen government's broader Sindh Education Reform Programme�by for supporting provincial government's policy of consolidating merging upgrading the schools in target districts, strengthening engagement, fostering public-private partnerships improving reading competencies of young students.

�"The Sindh Basic Education Program is helping to improve quality of the teaching and learning process and increasing equitable access to safe learning opportunities for children, especially�the�girls",�said US�Consul General, Mr. Mark Stroh while addressing audience during the event.� He�also reaffirmed the U.S.government's commitment to support key facets of basic education in Pakistan.�He acknowledged that SBEP has been a successful initiative which is breaking new grounds and setting new standards.� USAID's�SBEP�supports the reconstruction of 106�Sindh government affected by the catastrophic 2010 floods. These 106 state-of-the-art school buildings are being reconstructed in seven districts of�Northern Sindh (Dadu, Jacobabad, Kamber-Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Khairpur, Larkana, and Sukkur) and three selected districts of Karachi Division (Malir, West and South).

The reconstructed schools along with a group of other government schools are being handed over to the EMOs for improved operational efficiency. With the signing of these concession agreements, the operational management of 81 SBEP-USAID reconstructed schools along with a group of 90 select government�schools, stands outsourced to�10EMOs.�The construction of the remaining 25 schools is in process�and at different stages of completion.