Education Ministry, World Bank Discuss Execution Of Joint Projects
ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training (FE&PT) Shafqat Mahmood held a meeting with the delegation of World Bank to discuss the execution of the joint projects.
A statement issued by the ministry said that the Work Bank delegation was led by the Practice Manager Christian Aedo. Welcoming the delegation of World Bank, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood remarked that when he held the charge of this ministry, there was no project between the ministry and the World Bank but now we were jointly carrying out so many important projects including ASPIRE 200 million US dollar program, A program-for-Results financing, 400 million dollars Higher Education Development Program,19 million US dollars Covid-19 Response, Recovery and Resilience in education project and 20 million USD DARE grant program. Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood assured the World Bank to execute all these programs well within time. Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the ministry is also very keen and pleased to actively participate in the World Bank “Accelerator” program for which we are formulating certain priority actions regarding out of school’s children, quality education, distance learning and remedial learning.
Discussing the learning poverty, which according to a survey has increased from 75 per cent to 79 per cent owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, federal education minister said, we are very much concerned about the issue and in next IPEMC which is scheduled to be held this month in Karachi, introduction of remedial courses to reduce the learning poverty, would be the part of agenda of IPEMC.
Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood also apprised the delegation of World Bank that the federal cabinet would accord the approval of merger of different organizations of the ministry to create Pakistan Institute of Education as an executive department and it would be an outstanding organization for data gathering and to develop research and assessment mechanism.
Chairman NAVTTC Syed Javed Hasan, who was also present in the meeting, requested the World Bank to start engagement with the country’s largest vocational training institution which is creating the employability by equipping the youth with latest skills. The World Bank nodded on the proposal and collaboration.