Newly-merged districts: UNDP, Unicef sign MoU with KP to improve quality of education

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and, United Nation International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have joined hands with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve girls' access to quality education in Kurram and Orakzai districts.

In this connection, UNDP and UNICEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the KP Elementary and Secondary Education Department here Thursday.

Funded by the Global Affairs Canada, this CDN $7 million project is jointly implemented by the UNDP and the Elementary and Secondary Education Department of KP.

The three-year project complements the Government's Accelerated Implementation Plan (AIP) for the merged districts and will provide three tier support to the education department, community and students to ensure equitable access to safe and quality education for around 14,000 students, primarily focused on adolescent girls.

The project will rehabilitate 100 partially damaged schools and provide essential school supplies and furniture to promote conducive learning environment for the children. It will also train over 300 teachers for teaching practices. Furthermore, around 155 Parents-Teacher Associations and mothers' groups will also be formed and trained to promote and monitor girls' access to education.

Enrolment and retention campaigns to raise awareness on the importance and value of girls' education will be carried out while health and hygiene awareness sessions are also planned, followed by distribution of dignity kits containing sanitary items for adolescent girls students in 155 schools of Kurram and Orakzai districts.

In his introductory remarks Ignacio Artaza, Resident Representative of UNDP Pakistan said, "Education is the first step to breaking the poverty cycle. Future of the merged districts is dependent on harnessing the potential of its young bulge through formal and informal education. UNDP's Stabilization and Development Programme has assisted over 800,000 individuals (almost 50% of which are women), since its inception in 2015."

During her speech, Aida Girma, UNICEF representative in Pakistan, said: "Every girl and boy in Pakistan has the right to quality education, starting with the most disadvantaged.

This programme, led by the Government with support from Global Affairs Canada, will help adolescent girls and boys overcome the barriers to education, skills-development and economic empowerment which they face in their daily lives.

Together we must continue to work to make sure that adolescent girls can learn. Enrolling girls in school will help unlock lifelong opportunities and contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty in the newly merged districts."

While speaking on this occasion, Christopher Khng, Head of Aid/Development Cooperation from the High Commission of Canada in Pakistan said that education initiative that we are launching today is good demonstration of how, together, we are working to educate and empower children especially girls and young women, and assisting Pakistan in achieving the SDG 4.