tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post7150591811365033803..comments2024-03-18T16:01:13.871-07:00Comments on Haq's Musings: Brits Offer $1 Billion to Aid Schools in PakistanRiaz Haqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-53731443157319066622014-11-04T21:19:23.700-08:002014-11-04T21:19:23.700-08:00Imagine sending your children to school and there ...Imagine sending your children to school and there are no teachers.<br /><br />You might go to the principal's office to see what's going on and to ask when the staff is likely to return. But the principal is not there either.<br /><br />When you complain to the local education authorities they promise faithfully that the teachers will be back. While you're at it, you mention that none of the toilets at the school work and that there's no water for the kids to drink. There may not even be any chairs or desks. Or books.<br /><br />In the U.S. you'd be expecting to wake up about now. You'd realize it was all just an unpleasant dream and walk your children to their nice school complete with teachers, books, desks and working toilets.<br /><br />But if you were a parent with children in the public school system in Pakistan, you'd never wake from the nightmare.<br /><br />There are said to be 25,000 "ghost schools" in Pakistan. The teachers all get paid. They just don't see the need to turn up. They don't go to school, so the kids don't either. The result is one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world.<br /><br />With a population approaching 200 million, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, but about 54 million are illiterate. While national statistics report that 70 percent of children are enrolled in in primary education, 50 percent drop out before reaching the fifth grade.<br /><br />According to UNESCO's 2014 report on the state of global primary education, Pakistan has nearly 5.5 million children out of school, the second highest number in the world after Nigeria.<br /><br />If you have a daughter in Pakistan, the odds are stacked against her going to school at all, especially if you're living in a poor urban slum or a rural area. There remain huge disparities in the levels of literacy between the sexes.<br /><br />You can't blame the children. The Citizens Foundation (TCF), a non-profit that relies almost exclusively on donations from Pakistani and expat supporters in the U.S. and other countries, runs 1,000 quality schools in the country's worst slums and neglected rural areas. TCF has a long waiting list of parents desperate to get their kids educated.<br /><br />I recently spent a week visiting TCF schools in Karachi. Immediately outside the school walls, there's abject poverty. Inside the school gates, there are pristine classrooms, computer labs and spotless washrooms. Drinking water is provided to ensure that no child goes thirsty.<br /><br />This sanctuary could be a snapshot from any classroom in the world -- happy children hanging on their teacher's every word, immune to the stresses of the world outside.<br /><br />Now working in 100 towns and cities across Pakistan, TCF strives to maintain an equivalent enrollment of girls and boys. This is no mean feat in a nation that has marginalized women even as it elected Benazir Bhutto its prime minister, a height yet to be achieved by an American woman. To sustain this gender ratio, TCF has an all-female faculty, because parents are more likely to send their daughters to schools where the teachers are women.<br /><br />TCF schools have succeeded where others have failed because they've won the support of communities that have been forgotten and abandoned by the state.<br /><br />On October 8, TCF in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., co-hosted a conference titled "Pakistan's Biggest Challenge: Turning Around a Broken Education System", bringing together some of the best minds in education from around the world....<br /><br />http://www.huffingtonpost.com/skoll-foundation/education-will-make-pakistanis-youth-an-asset_b_6064402.htmlRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-42228518862876303092014-04-17T22:08:18.863-07:002014-04-17T22:08:18.863-07:00Here's a PakistanToday story on a poll on secu...Here's a <a href="http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/04/02/city/lahore/72-pakistanis-believe-imams-should-have-worldly-education/" rel="nofollow">PakistanToday</a> story on a poll on secular education in madrasas:<br /><br /><i>Majority of Pakistanis believe an Imam should be aware of other subjects including science, technology, English etc besides his religious knowledge.<br /><br />According to a Gilani Research Foundation Survey carried out by GallupPakistan, 72 per cent Pakistanis found it compulsory for Imam of mosques to gain knowledge of other subjects other than religious education.<br /><br />A nationally representative sample of adult men and women, from across the four provinces was asked “Should the Imam be aware of subjects like science and technology, English language etc. besides his religious knowledge or not?” Responding to this, 72 percent said yes while only 28 per cent rejected this idea.</i><br /><br />http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/04/02/city/lahore/72-pakistanis-believe-imams-should-have-worldly-education/<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-6303463100942154252014-04-16T16:48:40.919-07:002014-04-16T16:48:40.919-07:00Here's a Christian Science Monitor report on t...Here's a <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2014/0415/Pakistan-s-Islamic-seminaries-pair-science-with-the-Quran" rel="nofollow">Christian Science Monitor</a> report on teaching of science at a major madrassa in Pakistan's FATA region:<br /><br /><i> Anwarul Haq, a frail, bespectacled cleric, sits before a class of attentive students in Darul Uloom Haqqania, one of Pakistan’s many madrassas, or Islamic seminaries. His class of 1,400 students is the most senior of 4,000 enrollees at Darul Uloom, an hour's drive from Peshawar.<br /><br />The students follow a 500-year-old curriculum adopted across South Asia. The oversized book used in Mr. Haq's class, a collection of ahadith, or sayings attributed to the prophet Muhammad, is centuries old and written in Arabic. Commentary written in Urdu in present-day India fills the margins. <br /><br />“This country was built on Islam, the idea of following God's teachings. Here we are learning how to do that,” says Haq.<br /><br />RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about Pakistan? Take this quiz.<br /><br />What students learn, and don’t learn, in thousands of such private seminaries is a matter of concern for Pakistan’s government. Under a national security policy unveiled last month, Pakistan aims to bring madrassas under tighter state control, update their curricula to tone down extremist views, and introduce subjects like mathematics and science. The goal is to turn out graduates capable of getting decent jobs who won’t be tempted to join the Taliban or other militant groups.<br /><br />“Graduates stand in between two worlds,” says Nafisa Shah, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League. When they don't get jobs, she says, “they become vulnerable [to recruitment by militants].” <br /><br />Pakistan currently has a tenuous ceasefire with homegrown Taliban militants and has released scores of suspected militants and accomplices in confidence-building measures. Still, terrorist attacks have continued by splinter groups the Taliban claim not to control. On Apr. 9, 21 people were killed in a blast at a fruit market in Islamabad.<br /><br />Advanced degrees<br /><br />Fears that Pakistan’s madrassas are breeding grounds for extremism are nothing new. After 9/11, the US government funded a $100 million madrassa reform program that met widespread hostility and failed to make much headway. <br /><br />Clerics have scoffed at the government’s new security policy and point out that they’ve already instituted the kind of reforms the government advocates. Darul Uloom offers advanced specializations in Islamic law that Pakistan’s universities accept as Master's degrees, and runs computer labs for students.<br /><br />Other madrassas have also upgraded their curriculum so that students, who spend much of their time memorizing the Quran, get a broader secular education. Most pupils are from poor backgrounds: madrassas offer free education, housing, and food.<br /><br />Moreover, experts say the threat of militancy comes mostly from what students learn in their spare time, especially in hundreds of underground madrassas that are beyond the reach of both the clerics and the state. ...</i><br /><br />http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2014/0415/Pakistan-s-Islamic-seminaries-pair-science-with-the-QuranRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-5985761605562251462014-04-01T10:41:56.972-07:002014-04-01T10:41:56.972-07:00Here's a BR story on tripling of private schoo...Here's a <a href="http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1168383/" rel="nofollow">BR story</a> on tripling of private schools in Pakistan to 69,000: <br /><br /><i>With increasing in fiscal pressure, growing un-met demand for education, weak management of the public education system, and poor quality perception of the public schools, there is a structural gap on the supply side, revealed a report Access to Finance (A2F) for Low Cost Private Schools (LCPS). <br /><br />Department for International Development (DFID) funded, Ilm Ideas Programme launched a study on Access to Finance for Low Cost Private Schools in partnership with Pakistan Microfinance Network here on Monday. The A2F for the LCPS report revealed that Pakistan's education industry provides a classic impact investment opportunity for private sector finance. Until now, the public sector has been playing a dominant role in the education industry. However, with increasing fiscal pressures, growing un-met demand for education, weak management of the public education system, and poor quality perception of the public schools there is a structural gap on the supply side. The report further states that given the scale the large number of out of school children and poor performance on international education indicators, there is a strong case for private sector intervention at the service delivery level either under a public-private partnership framework and/or on its own. <br /><br />The number of private schools in Pakistan has multiplied to almost three folds - at a much faster rate than the number of public sector schools. Most of this growth has been within low cost private schools which now account for about one third of school enrolment in Pakistan. The study on 'A2F for LCPS' reports that there are currently over 69,000 low cost private schools in the country and is emerging as a key ancillary tool for improving enrolment rates and the quality of schooling in Pakistan. <br /><br />Addressing on this occasion, Richard Montgomery Head of the UK's Department for International Development in Pakistan said that this innovative initiative would potentially help low cost private schools to access finance for the first time, which could enable them to invest in improving the quality of the education they provide, and expand access so that even more children can go to school. Given that Pakistan's population of 185 million will mushroom by half again within the next 40 years, innovative ideas like this will help ensure the burgeoning youth population is well educated and able to bring prosperity and stability to the country, Montgomery added. <br /><br />Ross Ferguson Private Sector Development Advisor at UK's Department for International Development said that according to an estimate, LCPS sector needs over Rs 100 billion to fund existing expansion plans to support access to finance linked to investment in quality which can help raise both enrolment and learning outcomes. To achieve this education and the finance sectors must work together and the DFID is ready to support these partnerships, Ferguson added. <br /><br />Panellists including representatives of Punjab Education Foundation, Education Foundation for Sindh, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, State Bank Pakistan, Khushali Bank, Kashf Foundation and First Microfinance Bank presented their views on exploring the full potential of the low cost private school sector with a view to enhancing access to credit and investment in quality solutions to improve operations, governance and overall quality of services the LCPS sector provides. A large number of people including donors, public and private sectors organisations from the education and finance sectors, school administrators and education service providers participated in the launching ceremony. </i><br /><br />http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1168383/Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-63826050485998263302013-05-21T16:20:02.385-07:002013-05-21T16:20:02.385-07:00Here's an ET story on education in Waziristan:...Here's an <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/552396/a-peaceful-revolution-in-south-waziristan/" rel="nofollow">ET story</a> on education in Waziristan:<br /><br /><i>A quiet and peaceful revolution is taking place in South Waziristan. Girls, with the support and protection of the tribal elders and the community, are going to school. The Chaghmalai Government Girls High School is about to open its doors to welcome its first 269 students.<br />After staying several years in internally displaced persons’ camps or with host families elsewhere, locals are returning to South Waziristan. Due to extensive destruction during the conflict, starting again has been tough, especially for the poorest and the most vulnerable. Despite these hardships, a positive development has emerged — communities are passionate to educate their children, both boys and girls.<br />Since returning, the elders have held numerous jirgas with the army to discuss how to achieve lasting peace and a sustainable economic future. Perhaps, the exodus to other parts of Pakistan created a better understanding among the communities of the value of education and its role in achieving a better life. In a region where literacy rates for males is 29 per cent and for females just three per cent, this is a big step forward.<br />There are so many positive signs of change. During a visit in March, I attended the rehearsals for a Pakistan Day school concert in Spinkai Raghzai, one of the poorest villages. Like children all over the country, preparing for a national day celebration, the children in Spinkai Raghzai were just as excited, though a little nervous about performing in front of their peers and guests.<br />The theme was peace and education, developed around the quotes of the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. But what made this little pageant so special was the setting. This is a post-conflict environment where children and their families have suffered terror, tragedy and great loss. In the past, the Taliban ran suicide-training camps in Spinkai and it has been the scene of unimaginable horror. Even now, the children there suffer anxiety that the militants might return.<br />It was hard not to be emotional. Only hard-hearted cynics could fail to be touched by the sense of occasion, or how remarkable this was in a now-peaceful village with so dark a recent history, or to mock the children’s hopes and enthusiasm for a peaceful future. I was reminded of a quote from Arundhati Roy’s, The God of Small Things, “That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.”...</i><br /><br />http://tribune.com.pk/story/552396/a-peaceful-revolution-in-south-waziristan/<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-64933384852623010172013-05-16T10:58:30.343-07:002013-05-16T10:58:30.343-07:00Here's a piece on Shehzad Roy's "Chal...Here's a <a href="http://thediplomat.com/the-pulse/2013/05/16/shehzad-roy-fighting-for-change-in-pakistani-education/" rel="nofollow">piece</a> on Shehzad Roy's "Chal Parha" GeoTV series to improve education in Pakistan:<br /><br /><i>Last month, well-known Pakistani pop star, Shehzad Roy made an appearance at Harvard to talk about music, activism and his new documentary series, Chal Parha (Urdu for: Come, Teach), which highlights the extensive issues plaguing Pakistan’s education system.<br /><br />Having visited over 200 schools across the country, in an interview with DAWN, Roy stated: “In each episode we highlight an issue from public schools, for example, corporal punishment, medium of instruction, population, textbooks, curriculum, teachers.”<br /><br />He added, “I want to share the lessons that we have learnt; both good and ugly. We want people to know the obstacles standing in the way of improving the structure of education in government schools while also highlighting the remarkable individuals committed to the teaching profession. These people prove the power of individual efforts.”<br /><br />Broadcast on a local television channel, GEO TV, the show has gained immense popularity, fast making an impact in a country where, according to the non-profit Alif Ailaan, the government spends just 2.4 percent of its national GDP on education and where just over half of children enroll in primary school.<br /><br />Mariam Chughtai, the founder of Harvard’s Pakistan Student Group told The Diplomat that the singer was invited primarily because the student group “is committed to changing the discourse on Pakistan at Harvard from one of terrorism and challenges, to that of resilience, art and social change.”<br /><br />“[Roy] embodied for us an activist who is using music to make an impact on the ground, which is why his discussants, Professor Ali Asani and I were able to have a conversation with him in light of how artists have historically played a key role in keeping governments and rulers accountable,” Chughtai said.<br /><br />“Roy himself spoke of the main learnings he has had in his journey of Chal Parha, including clippings from his show which illustrated these learnings. They represented both strengths and weaknesses of society in being ready for change on education.”<br /><br />Alongside his music career, which, over the past couple of years, has veered sharply into the direction of socio-political commentary, Roy has managed to rather successfully integrate both his music and humanitarian work<br />----------<br />Roy told Dawn, “We have installed thumb-printing attendance machines in the five provinces to bring transparency to the issue of teacher absenteeism. We are now collecting this data and are happy to report that teacher attendance has increased considerably in these schools. Similarly, in the episode on corporal punishment, we are proposing a law banning physical abuse in schools and we plan to diligently pursue this issue in the media.”<br />....</i><br /><br />http://thediplomat.com/the-pulse/2013/05/16/shehzad-roy-fighting-for-change-in-pakistani-education/Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-29684706495988695862013-03-01T17:37:33.636-08:002013-03-01T17:37:33.636-08:00HWJ: "They will all wind up like these anyway...HWJ: "They will all wind up like these anyway...."<br /><br />Nonsense!<br /><br />If they "all" wound up like this, the enrollment rate would not have been rising for many years in insurgency-hit FATA.<br /><br />Here's a story of WFP program take-home rations for school girls in Bajaur agency in FATA:<br /><br /><i>Taking turns to lug a heavy can of edible oil, Mushtari and Sheema Gul, twin sisters aged nine, trip home happily from their school in Ghareebabad village in Pakistan’s troubled Bajaur Agency.<br /><br />“Our kitchen is run on this oil,” explains Sheema. The shiny cans are distributed in her school under World Food Programme (WFP)’s ‘Back to school, stay in school’ project launched as people began streaming back to the Bajaur after the Pakistan army completed flushing out Taliban militants from the agency in April 2011.<br /><br />“Last year, as people displaced by the fighting began returning, we entered into an agreement with the WFP to launch the project,” Akramullah Shah, an official of Bajaur Agency’s education department, tells IPS.<br /><br />From 2007 to 2009, when the Taliban held sway over Bajaur Agency, about 100,000 people fled for safety to makeshift camps. “During that period Taliban militants destroyed 107 schools and disrupted education services, affecting about 80,000 students,” Shah said.<br /><br />With much of Bajaur’s infrastructure reduced to rubble and the mainstay of agriculture ruined, the returning residents had little to look forward to and were reluctant to take on the added burden of sending their children to school.<br /><br />Ghufran Gul, father of Mushtari and Sheema, said he would not have been able to send his daughters to school but for the WFP programme of distributing edible oil and fortified biscuits. “The oil is tasty and people like to use it for making rotis (unleavened bread),” he said.<br /><br />“We are happy. We sisters get the biscuits while the oil is used by the entire family,” said the Gul twins who study in grade three of the government girls’ high school in Bajaur.<br />---------<br />“As soon as the Pakistan army had defeated the militants, we started reconstruction of damaged schools and launched programmes to encourage the students to return, ” Bajaur Agency lawmaker Akhunzada Muhammad Chittan told IPS.<br /><br />According to Chittan, enrolment at the government-run primary schools had increased from 102,922 in 2010 to 1,320,876 by the end of June this year and was to improve further.<br /><br />“Apart from providing free books and food items, relief organisations other than the WFP have been pitching in with purchased uniforms, shoes and teaching kits that are powerful incentives for parents to send their children to schools,” he said.<br /><br />According to the 2008 census the literacy rate among the FATA’s 3.2 million population is just 22 percent, well below the national average of 56 percent.<br /><br />A brief setback to the food distribution programme occurred in December 2010 when a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a WFP centre in the Bajaur, killing 45 people and injuring 80 others.<br /><br />WFP spokesperson Amjad Jamal said the food assistance programme was due to run until the end of this year, but the U.N. agency has proposed that it should be allowed to continue until 2015.<br /><br />“The main objectives of the programme are to protect children from hunger and motivate the parents to send their children back to schools to resume their education,” he said.<br /><br />Except for the North Waziristan Agency, the WFP programme now covers the whole of the FATA and parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhthunkwa provinces.</i><br /><br />http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/07/pouring-edible-oil-on-pakistans-troubled-areas/<br />Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-42171711560740274862013-03-01T13:10:51.496-08:002013-03-01T13:10:51.496-08:00What's the point of the British building schoo...What's the point of the British building schools? They will all wind up like these anyway.....<br /><br />Feb 28, 2013-<br />http://alturl.com/w5jtj<br /><br />It would be better to take the money from the British and buy discounted arms from China in order to defend our eastern border against the nefarious designs and ill-intentions of our arch-rival India.Hopewinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885301987622998733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-8159260260471920112013-02-26T22:09:25.381-08:002013-02-26T22:09:25.381-08:00Here's a Dawn story on $400 m WB loan for Sind...Here's a <a href="http://dawn.com/2013/02/19/world-bank-to-provide-400m-for-education/" rel="nofollow">Dawn story</a> on $400 m WB loan for Sind education:<br /><br /><i>The World Bank will give $400 million for the promotion and development of education in Sindh.<br /><br />This was stated by country director of World Bank Pakistan Rachid Benmessaoud who called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House on Monday along with a two-member delegation.<br /><br />According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister House, Mr Benmessaoud further said that the WB would also help in development of irrigation and agriculture in the province.<br /><br />The chief minister thanked the World Bank for assistance in various fields, especially in the education, health, agriculture and irrigation sectors.<br /><br />He assured the WB officials that the provincial government was paying full attention to completion of development schemes on time and as per schedule.<br /><br />The chief minister said problems in promotion and development of education would be resolved.<br /><br />He said recruitment of teachers in the education department was being made strictly on merit.<br /><br />The government had already recruited 16,000 teachers and that 19,000 more teachers would be hired on merit, he added.<br /><br />He said that educational facilities were being extended in rural and far-flung areas of the province.<br /><br />Mr Shah said that despite floods and rains over the past three years, there was headway in various fields.<br /><br />The World Bank country chief appreciated the policy of merit for the recruitment of teachers.<br /><br />He said the WB wanted to see headway in all sectors.<br /><br />Sindh finance secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch and additional chief secretary of planning and development Arif Ahmed Khan were also present on the occasion</i><br /><br />http://dawn.com/2013/02/19/world-bank-to-provide-400m-for-education/Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-50809031058216159722012-12-15T11:53:24.328-08:002012-12-15T11:53:24.328-08:00Here is a summary of the news (partially covered i...Here is a summary of the news (partially covered in your previous blog articles):<br /><br />(1) The English will build schools in Pakistan<br />(2) The Americans will build irrigation canals in Pakistan<br />(3) The Germans will build water-supply stations in Pakistan<br />(4) The Danes will build health clinics in Pakistan<br />(5) The Chinese will build mining industry in Pakistan<br />(6) The Japanese will build power plants in Pakistan<br />(7) The Malaysians will build affordable housing in Pakistan.<br />(8) The Turks will build hydroelectric dams in Pakistan<br />(9) The Saudis will build Masajid & Madaris in Pakistan<br />(10) The Emiratis will build new cities in Pakistan<br />(11) The Kuwaitis will build new pipelines in Pakistan<br />(12) The Russian will build steel plants in Pakistan<br />(13) The Europeans will build food-processing industries in Pakistan.<br />(14) The Iranians will build new power-lines in Pakistan<br /><br />Now this is all very well, but it BEGS the questions: WHAT will WE be doing? Or are we just going to sit back and expect the whole world to come and build our country for us? <br />Hopewinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885301987622998733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-10669537272773377472012-12-02T16:40:51.163-08:002012-12-02T16:40:51.163-08:00HWJ: "What are your thoughts on all this?&quo...HWJ: "What are your thoughts on all this?"<br /><br />India has the world's largest population of poor, hungry and illiterates...more than even sub-Saharan Africa. <br /><br />India has large pockets of very deep poverty in states like MP, Bihar, Jharkand, UP where millions die of hunger. <br /><br />Indian govt would not fill the gap after the Brits leave. <br /><br />Here's an excerpt from a post by <a href="http://escapefromindia.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Cybergandhi</a>:<br /><br /><i>Due to the fake ‘India Shining’ propaganda launched by Hindutva idiots, foreign donors are reluctant to help the poor people in this country. According to figures provided by Britain’s aid agency, the total aid to India, from all sources, is only $1.50 a head, compared with an average of $17 per head for low-income countries. [Financial Times]</i><br /><br />http://escapefromindia.wordpress.com/Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-48819205496560324292012-12-02T15:15:04.788-08:002012-12-02T15:15:04.788-08:00RH: "And western aid is still saving millions...RH: "And western aid is still saving millions of lives in India through vaccinations, feedings, toilet construction, pre-school and primary education etc"<br />----<br /><br />Dr. Haq,<br /><br />This is what the British media always crow about, but I find it very hard to believe.<br /><br />There was a recent pronouncement by a newspaper in England that British Aid to India is "lifting hundreds of millions of Indians out of poverty". This smacks of exaggerated self-promotion to the point of senseless hyperbole.<br /><br />Here is why: British Aid to India is about 400 Million$ per year. Assuming a population of 1 billion plus, that translates to 40-cents per person per year.<br /><br />How much poverty alleviation and socioeconomic upliftment do you think 40-cents per person per year can possibly achieve?<br /><br />To put this 400 Million$ into perspective, India's own internal tax-base spending on "social" programs (family planning, health, education, fuel, food, fertilizers etcetera) is around 36% of their government budget. This amounts to 0.36 X 275 = 100 Billion$ per year.<br />http://alturl.com/oq896<br />http://alturl.com/vg2v2<br /><br />So I just don't see this "millions of lives saved" business happening with the meager amounts of foreign aid they receive on a per capita basis. <br /><br />An additional thing to consider in terms of scale-analysis is the Net Aid received (all sources or countries) as a PERCENTAGE of government internal or domestic budgetary resources:<br />http://alturl.com/ryb45<br />Nepal: 34.6%<br />Bangladesh: 12.1%<br />Pakistan: 10.2%<br />Sri-Lanka: 9.3%<br />India: 1.1%<br /><br />I can imagine aid saving a lot of lives in Nepal at 35% dependency. I could also imagine lives being saved in our country at 10% dependency. But at 1.1% dependency, it is hard to imagine aid "transforming the lives of millions" in India. It might help generate some self-serving photo-ops and feel-good slogans for the busy-body Western do-gooder; but beyond that, I see no significance to this whole charade of "doing good with our aid" nonsense that makes the media-rounds in England.<br /><br />What are your thoughts on all this?<br />Hopewinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07885301987622998733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-73507786538387543892012-10-17T08:21:07.177-07:002012-10-17T08:21:07.177-07:00Here's Guardian on effectiveness of British ai...Here's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/17/uk-dynamic-pakistan-aid-challenges" rel="nofollow">Guardian</a> on effectiveness of British aid for Pak education and health:<br /><br /><i>..A report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), assistance....<br /><br />The watchdog found that the education programme had improved the quality of learning, and had shown promising early results. However, a programme for maternal and newborn health showed "significant shortcomings", and there were concerns that the humanitarian projects had done little to prepare Pakistan for future disasters.<br /><br />Overall, ICAI, which scrutinises UK aid, rated the country programme green/amber in its traffic light ratings system, which means it performed relatively well and provided value for money, but needed improvements.<br /><br />Pakistan is set to become the largest recipient of UK bilateral aid. The Department for International Development (DfID) views the country as strategically important and announced an increase in aid after its bilateral aid review last year. UK aid has already trebled from £87m to £267m between 2007-08 and 2011-12, and is expected to reach £446m by 2014-15.<br /><br />A chunk of the money will be spent on education, including on an ambitious programme in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and another in Punjab, aimed at getting more children into school and delivering a quality education. The department's health and nutrition programmes are expected to total around £160m. The report said DfID "has no track record of delivering programmes on this scale".<br /><br />The team will be delivering these programmes in a difficult environment. Pakistan ranks low on Transparency International's corruption perceptions index – coming 134th out of 182 countries – and has weak auditing and budgeting procedures. The country has experienced natural and manmade disasters over recent years, including conflict in the Swat valley that displaced around 3 million people, and severe flooding in 2010 and 2011 that affected millions of people and disrupted development programmes. The country is also devolving federal power to the provinces. "This suggests that scaling up of the country programme needs to be approached cautiously and with a very active risk management stance," said the report.<br /><br />The report welcomed DfID's cash transfer scheme in areas hit by flooding, but "while its humanitarian projects are well conceived, DfID has only limited engagement at present in building capacity for disaster risk reduction or management, to increase resilience to future disasters", despite recommendations in 2008 that more needed to be done in this area.<br /><br />The design of the health programme, which trained community midwives in rural areas to support women who are not able to give birth in a health centre, was problematic, as it was competing with an existing network of trained community health workers created under another national health programme. Devolution resulted in the abolition of DfID's partner in the programme, the national Ministry of Health, which meant ownership of the project was unclear. The health programme is now being redesigned.<br /><br />ICAI recommended that DfID encourages more private-sector involvement in delivering health and education services, considers making resilience to natural disasters at household and community level a core part of its programme, and implements agreed standards and procedures to ensure transparency and accountability in budgeting.<br /><br />"Overall, we found that the DfID Pakistan programme is dynamic and innovative, with a good range of impressive initiatives," said Graham Ward, the ICAI chief commissioner. "DfID has no track record, however, of delivering programmes in Pakistan on the scale that is now contemplated. Delivering aid there also involves considerable challenges, so we believe that the planned programme scale-up needs to be approached carefully."..</i><br /><br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/17/uk-dynamic-pakistan-aid-challengesRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-6383734193295224152012-07-20T16:44:05.891-07:002012-07-20T16:44:05.891-07:00Here's Daily Times on increased British aid fo...Here's <a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C07%5C21%5Cstory_21-7-2012_pg7_28" rel="nofollow">Daily Times</a> on increased British aid for education in Pakistan:<br /><br /><i>Under the new UK Operational Plan for Pakistan (2011-2015), almost 1.4 billion pounds have been allocated for Pakistan, primarily in the education sector.<br />According to sources, the plan will make Pakistan the largest recipient of the UK development assistance in the world. UK believes that Pakistan’s education system is in crisis, and the country has a booming youth population. By 2032, the number of young people in Pakistan will be larger than the entire UK population. That’s why education is one of the UK’s priorities in Pakistan from 2011 to 2015, besides peace and stability in conflict-hit areas of in the country. Between 2011 and 2015, the UK will support four million children in school and construct more than 20,000 classrooms.<br />The UK is Pakistan’s second largest trading partner in Europe after Germany and an important source of foreign investment and remittances. Bilateral trade with the country was 1.77 billion pounds last year. Importantly, the two sides have agreed to a Trade and Investment Roadmap to not only increase the bilateral trade to 2.5 billion pounds by 2015 but also enhance investment opportunities. There are over 100 British companies in Pakistan.<br />Pakistan’s relations with the UK have become stronger and more meaningful since signing of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue (ESD) on April 5 last year. The UK has also been very supportive of Pakistan’s desire for inclusion in GSP+ in 2014.</i><br /><br />http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\21\story_21-7-2012_pg7_28Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-49047141753771816962012-04-12T19:37:53.538-07:002012-04-12T19:37:53.538-07:00Here's Daily Times on USAID project on educati...Here's <a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C04%5C13%5Cstory_13-4-2012_pg7_17" rel="nofollow">Daily Times</a> on USAID project on education in Pakistan:<br /><br /><i>Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Dr Rajiv Shah and Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq launched the USAID-funded ‘National Reading Programme’ at Government Girls Primary/Secondary School, Sultanabad.<br /><br />The programme consists of three projects - two national and one focused on Sindh - that will help train teachers, improve reading skills and numeracy, and mobilise communities to support school management. It will also increase enrollment of students and ensure student retention, especially of girls.<br /><br />The programme aims at improving literacy and numeracy for nearly seven million children, provide training to over 90,000 teachers in teaching and assessment, and support the development of 3.2 million new readers–including 700,000 children in Sindh. USAID will be supporting the school with a reading programme under the Sindh Basic Education Programme (SBEP). USAID SBEP was started in 2011 and will span until 2016, with a budget of $ 155 million. “This is good because it supplements your education budget, a budget that is woefully under-funded. But more importantly, it establishes the need for accountability in school administration and management. We are both now accountable to citizens who look to us to be stewards of these resources.</i><br /><br />http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\13\story_13-4-2012_pg7_17Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-22999465786617411322012-04-06T17:16:04.800-07:002012-04-06T17:16:04.800-07:00Here's a Daily Times report on UNICEF's Ev...Here's a <a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C04%5C07%5Cstory_7-4-2012_pg7_3" rel="nofollow">Daily Times</a> report on UNICEF's <a href="http://www.unicef.org/pakistan/media_7589.htm" rel="nofollow">Every Child in School</a> campaign:<br /><br /><i>Around 20 million children in Pakistan, including an estimated 7.3 million of primary school age, are not in school, said a statement issued by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Friday.<br /><br />“Investing in children and their education is vital due to the positive impacts it has on so many socio-economic dimensions. It is therefore imperative that all children in Pakistan, both boys and girls, have the opportunity to attend and complete their schooling,” the statement said.<br /><br />About the efforts of the fund for promoting education for children across the country, the statement said, “UNICEF is supporting the nationwide ‘Every Child in School’ campaign, which encourages parents and communities to ensure that all primary school-age children are enrolled for the new school year. A special focus is being placed on enrolling girls, who represent 57 percent of primary school-age children who are not attending school. Girls from poor families in rural areas, for example, receive just over one year of education, on average.”<br /><br />“The disparities in educational opportunities are influenced by multiple factors, like wealth, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, early learning opportunities, access and quality of learning – and it is therefore critical that all who can positively influence children’s learning opportunities should come forward to ensure that this school-year is more successful than ever,” said UNICEF Pakistan Representative Dan Rohrmann.<br /><br />“We must ensure that all children are in school. Free and quality education for all children, especially the most vulnerable, is essential to Pakistan’s economic and social development. An investment in children is an investment in Pakistan’s future,” Rohrmann said, adding, “The realisation of Pakistan’s vision for social and economic development depends on success of its education system.”<br /><br />The right of a child to receive education is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan provides an added opportunity to realise this right, as Article 25A requires the state to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of five and 16, as determined by the law.</i><br /><br />http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\07\story_7-4-2012_pg7_3 <br /><br />http://www.unicef.org/pakistan/media_7589.htmRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-76443772701194938452012-03-26T20:28:03.866-07:002012-03-26T20:28:03.866-07:00Here's a report on a conference on technical &...Here's a report on a conference on technical & vocational training (TVET)as published in <a href="http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/27-Mar-2012/-skilled-manpower-in-high-demand-in-global-market" rel="nofollow">The Nation</a>:<br /><br /><i>For the first time in Pakistan, the British Council on Monday held an International Conference on Employer Engagement and Entrepreneurship for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector for South Asia.<br /><br />Held under the Skills for Employability programme, the conference focused on the benefits of employers’ engagement in the curriculum development and policy-making process in the TVET sector and how it can be encouraged, says a press release issued here.<br /><br />The participants agreed that the engagement will result in enabling policy makers to develop demand-driven curriculum that will not only produce workforce with industry-need expertise and knowledge but will also pave ways to promote entrepreneurship amongst the young TVET graduates.<br /><br />TVET experts from Pakistan, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Nepal participated in the conference besides principals, teachers and students of TVET colleges from across Pakistan.<br /><br />Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Federal Minister for Professional and Technical Training, was the chief guest at the conference. In his speech, he highlighted the role of TVET education for the development of a country’s economy particularly for a country like Pakistan.<br /><br />There was an overall consensus in amongst the participants of the conference that there is always a consistent demand of skilled workforce from the developing world to the developed countries as well as within their own countries. But there was also a general agreement on the challenges that countries like Pakistan face to meet those demands. One of the major challenges that were highlighted in the conference was how to equip our manpower with the expertise and skills that are in demand in the global market. <br />--------------<br />Adam Thompson, the British High Commissioner in Pakistan was the guest of honour at the event and he talked about how TVET education in the UK is contributing to the economy by producing demand-driven workforce.<br /><br />The conference also had an impressive exhibition setup by enterprising young students from the TVET colleges across Pakistan. There were separate panel discussions on Employer Engagement and Entrepreneurship, where experts from different countries discussed the importance of these two elements in TVET sector followed by a Q & A session by an enthusiastic audience.<br /><br />The findings of the two sessions on Employer Engagement and Entrepreurship were shared with the participants in the concluding session of the Conference.<br /><br />Salman Shehzad, Regional Manager for Skills for Employability programme concluded the Conference with his closing remarks. Salman said, “Having the treasure of approx. 65% youth population in Pakistan; TVET reforms can be instrumental in creating dynamic opportunities for young people which would certainly support the government’s agenda of engaging youth in skill development activities.”</i><br /><br />http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/27-Mar-2012/-skilled-manpower-in-high-demand-in-global-marketRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-32492685241215551262012-03-15T22:39:04.895-07:002012-03-15T22:39:04.895-07:00From Dawn:
KARACHI: The British High Commissioner...From <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/15/reforming-education-is-essential-for-pakistan-british-hc.html" rel="nofollow">Dawn</a>:<br /><br />KARACHI: The British High Commissioner for Pakistan, Adam Thomson, said that transformation of the education sector is essential to safeguard Pakistan’s future.<br /><br />He was addressing members of the English Speaking Union of Pakistan (ESUP) at a local hotel on Thursday.<br /><br />The High Commissioner maintained that although the current situation in education sector seems dismal, there has been some progress. However, this progress is not fast enough.<br /><br />He pointed out that the global average primary school enrollment is 87 per cent but that of Pakistan is 56 per cent.<br /><br />Seventeen million primary school age children, equivalent to the entire population of Karachi, are out of school in Pakistan, Adam Thomson added.<br /><br />He pointed out that UK aid from the Department for International Development will help support four million children into school, train 90,000 teachers, fund six million textbook sets and rebuild schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa destroyed by militants or floods.<br /><br />The High Commissioner said that the UK is already working with Pakistan to assist in this necessary transformation in Pakistan’s education.<br /><br />He stated that the UK has more to offer Pakistan on education than any other country in the world.<br /><br />Adam Thomson cited founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s strong personal conviction that ‘education is a matter of life and death for Pakistan’.<br /><br />Arguing that an education transformation is possible, he cited the example of a province in Brazil where the literacy rate among eight year olds jumped from 49 per cent to 73 per cent just three years after a reform programme was launched.<br /><br />Adam Thomson said Pakistan could expect to start seeing the results within two years.<br /><br />Highlighting the strong links between Pakistan and the UK on education, he said that the UK and Pakistan are linked by history, language and educational testing. More Pakistanis still take English exams than any other nationality outside a formal government education sector.<br /><br />‘We are connected, joined at the hip. We cannot flourish if you do not flourish. You cannot flourish if your population is uneducated’.<br /><br />The UK will support four million children in school and is set to provide 650 million pounds, equivalent to nearly Rs100 billion, over four years for primary and secondary education in Pakistan.<br /><br />http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/15/reforming-education-is-essential-for-pakistan-british-hc.htmlRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-43270573466987101812012-03-10T19:20:49.085-08:002012-03-10T19:20:49.085-08:00Here are excepts of an Op Ed by Andrew Michell, Br...Here are excepts of an Op Ed by Andrew Michell, British secretary of DFID, published in <a href="http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-97151-UK-and-Pakistan-partners-for-the-long-term" rel="nofollow">The News</a>:<br /><br /><i>Over the last year, the UK has worked closely with Pakistan to deliver strong results, including supporting nearly half a million children in school; providing practical job training to more than 1,100 poor people in Punjab; providing microfinance loans to more than one hundred thousand people across Pakistan so they can start small businesses and lift their families out of poverty; and helping millions of people affected by the floods in 2010 and 2011.<br /><br />Education is the single most important factor that can transform Pakistan’s future. With a population that is expected to increase by 50 per cent in less than forty years, it is worrying that half the country’s adults can’t read or write, and that more than a third of primary school aged children are not in school. That’s why the UK is committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle its education emergency.<br /><br />If educated, healthy and working, this burgeoning youth population will provide a demographic boost to drive Pakistan’s economic growth and unlock Pakistan’s potential on the global stage.<br /><br />That’s why education is the UK’s top priority and why over the next four years, the UK will work in partnership with Pakistan to:<br /><br />* support four million children in school;<br /><br />* recruit and train 90,000 new teachers;<br /><br />* provide more than six million text book sets; and<br /><br />* construct or rebuild more than 43,000 classrooms.<br /><br />Every full year of extra schooling across the population increases economic growth by up to one percentage point, as more people with better reading, writing, and maths skills enter the workforce.<br /><br />The UK government is also working with Pakistan to empower and protect women and girls, to end violence against them and to help harness their talent and productivity. I welcome the legislation recently passed by Pakistan’s parliament that bans domestic violence, and congratulate Pakistan on its first Oscar for an outstanding film which throws the international spotlight on the horrific crime of acid attacks on women.<br /><br />Other priorities for the UK include working with Pakistan to prevent 3,600 mothers dying in childbirth; enabling 500,000 couples to choose when and how many children they have; providing practical job training (such as car mechanics, cooks, weavers, carpenters, etc) to tens of thousands of people living in poverty; and enable millions of people, half of them women, to access financial services such as microfinance loans so they can earn more money and lift their families out of poverty.<br /><br />The UK’s aid to Pakistan could potentially more than double, to become the UK’s largest recipient of aid. However this increase in UK aid is dependent on securing value for money and results, and linked to the Government of Pakistan’s own progress on reform at both the federal and provincial levels. This includes taking steps to build a more dynamic economy, strengthen the country’s tax base, and tackle corruption.</i><br /><br />http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-97151-UK-and-Pakistan-partners-for-the-long-termRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-11267519218387217082012-01-03T08:12:46.366-08:002012-01-03T08:12:46.366-08:00Javeria: "Sir how do you consider the foreign...Javeria: "Sir how do you consider the foreign aid, how is it helpful in making national policy & planning? & especially in the educational planning of our country? "<br /><br />Foreign aid is not a bad thing per se; it depends on how it's used. <br /><br />In Pakistan, US aid has helped build dams (Mangla, Tarbela, etc), set up schools (PIDE, IBA, LUMS, HEC reforms etc.), educate children (Sim Sim Hamara), kept people from starving ( Green Revolution in 1960s), improved health (vaccination programs) etc etc. <br /><br />As long as Pakistanis are not willing to take responsibility for their own people by paying taxes, Pakistan will need and be dependent on foreign aid.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-18382563959543910202012-01-03T02:43:25.507-08:002012-01-03T02:43:25.507-08:00Sir how do you consider the foreign aid, how is it...Sir how do you consider the foreign aid, how is it helpful in making national policy & planning? & especially in the educational planning of our country?Javeria Abbasinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-91315593704202175552011-12-03T22:40:28.075-08:002011-12-03T22:40:28.075-08:00Here's a Dawn report on the airing of the firs...Here's a <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/02/educational-tv-serial-for-children-from-dec-10.html" rel="nofollow">Dawn report</a> on the airing of the first episode of Sim Sim Humara in Pakistan:<br /><br /><i>The first episode of the Pakistan Children Television’s programme “Sim Sim Hamara”, an educational and capacity-building TV series for children, will be aired on Dec 10 at national TV.<br /><br />The TV series will be a high-quality early education resource for a large number of children who lack access to formal education opportunities.<br /><br />“Sim Sim Hamara” is the Pakistani adaptation of the engaging programme “Sesame Street”, created by Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in collaboration with Sesame Workshop, New York, and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).<br /><br />The theatre group will create a total of 130 episodes of the “Sim Sim Hamra” broadcast on PTV Home.<br /><br />Seventy-eight of these episodes will be produced in Urdu and 52 in national languages. The first episode will be aired at 5:30pm on Dec 10 and the repeat telecast will be at 9:30am next day. The moving spirit behind the project, Faizan Pirzada told Dawn that “along with language and numeracy skills, this new educational show will promote basic life skills, healthy habits, mutual respect and love for learning. The show’s locally-developed puppet stars include Rani, a six-year old school girl with a keen interest in natural sciences and a love of reading, Munna, a five-year old boy with big dreams and a flair for mathematics and numbers, Baily, a fluffy, hardworking donkey who aspires to be a pop star, Baji, a colourful, spirited woman with a passion for food, family, fun and tradition, and Haseen-o-Jameel, a crocodile who has a wonderful way with words, rhymes and songs.”<br /><br />Throwing light on the background of the project, one of the heads of the PC TV, Faizan Pirzada said Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop, held a national content seminar and four provincial workshops to gather educational advisers from various fields to provide direction for the educational framework for the Pakistan Children’s Television project.<br /><br />He said the participants included representatives from both regional and federal government entities, academicians, performing artists, civil society members working with children, representatives from Sesame Workshop, USAID and the federal education secretary.<br /><br />He said there’s a need to impress upon children and families the fact that learning happens in both formal and non-formal environments. PC television is using authentic examples from the real world, such as observing a family member count change at the grocery store, weighing produce on scales at the vegetable market, reading prayers from the Holy Quran and other holy texts, and measuring ingredients for ‘roti’ as a basis for storylines and materials that promote a lifelong love of learning.</i><br /><br />http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/02/educational-tv-serial-for-children-from-dec-10.htmlRiaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-81053411340164118262011-06-18T21:50:33.593-07:002011-06-18T21:50:33.593-07:00The European Union has signed an agreement to prov...The European Union has signed an agreement to provide 225 million euros for development projects in Pakistan, according to <a href="http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=53076&Cat=3&dt=6/18/2011" rel="nofollow">The News</a>:<br /><br /><i>The agreement was signed by the Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel and European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs at the finance ministry.<br /><br />The money will be spent from 2011 to 2013 on developing programmes for rural and natural resource, education and human resource, governance and trade development.<br /><br />Under the arrangement, the EU has committed an annual grant of 75 million euros. Over the three-year period, 90 million euros will be spent on rural development and natural resources management, 70 million euros on education and human resource development, 50 million euros on governance and 15 million euros on trade development.<br /><br />Briefing newsmen about the meeting, Shaikh appreciated the EU and Germany for their support to economic development in Pakistan.<br /><br />The minister discussed the current economic situation and measures taken by the government for stabilising and increasing revenue through tax reforms.<br /><br />The minister said that despite narrow fiscal space, Pakistan has not compromised on social and poverty-related spending and is pursuing a strategy to promote growth.<br /><br />“As a result of the initiatives to stabilise economy, indicators have shown improvement and the economy is able enough to withstand challenges,” he added.<br /><br />The minister thanked Germany for supporting Pakistan’s efforts to get access to the EU markets.<br /><br />The visiting dignitaries appreciated Pakistan’s commitment for sustaining the ongoing economic reforms programme and reaffirmed their support to Pakistan in this regard.<br /><br />They expressed hope that Pakistan would continue with the reform process.<br /><br />Niebel said that under the recently concluded bilateral negotiations, Germany had committed additional 78 million euros for education, energy, health and governance besides assuring 12 million euros for the Multi Donor Trust Fund.<br /><br />Out of the 78 million euros committed by Germany, 48.5 million euros will be spent on energy, 13 million euros on health, 9 million euros on governance, one million euros on education and 6.5 million euros outside these priority areas.</i>Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-84534541744871821792011-04-25T12:28:55.981-07:002011-04-25T12:28:55.981-07:00Here's an assessment of Pakistan's educati...Here's an assessment of Pakistan's education crisis by Rebecca Winthrop of <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2011/0418_pakistan_education_winthrop.aspx" rel="nofollow">Brookings Inst</a>:<br /><br /><i>For the millions of people who read and were inspired by Greg Mortenson’s books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, Sunday’s revelations by CBS News’ 60 Minutes that much of his story was at best vastly exaggerated and at worst fabricated, came as deep disappointment. ......<br /><br />As I travel around Pakistan this week and look at education issues across the country, including in the Federally Administered Northern Areas where Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea was set, I am struck by the bitter-sweet effect of these revelations. On the one hand, Mortenson’s book hid one of the country’s biggest educational success stories and promulgated a model of education assistance that has been proven time and again to be ineffective. On the other hand, his story captured the hearts of millions, bringing needed attention to the very real educational needs of Pakistan’s children and articulating the very important role good quality education can play in reducing conflict risk.<br />-----------<br />Contrary to the Three Cups of Tea portrayal of Gilgit-Bultistan as a place with little educational opportunity, it is one of the regions in Pakistan that has demonstrated true educational transformation over the last 50 years. In 1946, just prior to partition from India, there were an estimated six primary schools and one middle school for the entire region. Today there are over 1,800 primary, 500 middle, 420 high schools, and almost 40 higher education institutions. Girls are often noted to be outperforming boys and staying in school longer. It is true that community leadership and civil society organizations have played a major role in this transformation; it just was not Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute. When I asked the governor of Gilgit-Bultistan, Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah, how this education transformation came about, he was quick to point to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a network of private, international, nondenominational development organizations, an assertion with which other education experts concur. Led by His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, the concerted focus on improving education, and especially girls’ education, started in 1946 and has continued, led by community members, for decades. Initially starting in the Ismaili communities in Gilgit-Bultistan, the work spread quickly to other non-Ismaili communities in the region, when the clear economic and health benefits of educating girls were seen by neighboring communities. Many civil society organizations, government interventions and public-private partnerships have developed over time, helping to increase levels of human capital and capacity through heavy investment in education, particularly of girls. According to Mehnaz Aziz, member of the national Pakistan Education Task Force, if the rest of Pakistan could only follow in the footsteps of the people of Gilgit-Bultistan, the status of education in Pakistan would be greatly improved.<br /><br />... Increasing access to quality education is likely to reduce Pakistan’s risk of conflict as cross-country estimates show that increasing educational attainment is strongly correlated with conflict risk reduction. Last month, a national campaign – Education Emergency Pakistan 2011 – was launched to spur country-wide dialogue on the need to prioritize educational investment and progress.<br />-----------<br />It is unfortunate that the 60 Minutes expose has called into question the accuracy of Greg Mortenson’s books. Without defending Mortenson or whether the facts in his memoirs are accurate, I can say truthfully that there is indeed a very serious education crisis in Pakistan. The international community should not lose sight of this and the real needs of the Pakistani children and youth seeking to improve their lives. </i>Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5848640164815342479.post-38571498637442692392011-04-12T07:46:15.295-07:002011-04-12T07:46:15.295-07:00Anon: "Aid DOES NOT help long term poverty al...Anon: "Aid DOES NOT help long term poverty alliviation."<br /><br />It depends on what aid is used for. <br /><br />US Aid to India in 1960s for Green Revolution saved hundreds of millions of lives in India and other developing nations.<br /><br />And western aid is still saving millions of lives in India through vaccinations, feedings, toilet construction, pre-school and primary education etc.Riaz Haqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00522781692886598586noreply@blogger.com