EC okays 71m euro grant for education and trade

By Zamir Haider

ISLAMABAD: The European Commission (EC) has approved 71 million euro (Rs 4.3 billion) grant for education and trade development in Pakistan under its National Indicative Programme (NIP) 2003-05 for Pakistan.

Prior to approval by the European Commission, executive arm of the European Union, The Government of Pakistan and the EU member states had endorsed the NIP.

With a budget of euro 71 million (Rs 4.3 billion) for the period 2003-05, the NIP focuses on improving Pakistan’s education sector with emphasis on good governance and accountability in provision of educational services in Sindh and Northern Areas, and trade development and promotion of business and institutional links, in view of facilitating integration of Pakistan in the world trade system, including trade sector policy formulation and institutional reforms. From the 71 million euro budget, a major contribution i.e. 59 million euro, has been allocated for improving education sector, six million for promoting EU-Pakistan trade- related activities, five million euros for combating child labour and one million for fighting drugs abuse.

In education sector the main objective of NIP is to eliminate widespread gender disparity in literacy and enrolment rates across the provinces and reduce the high drop-out rates at primary level besides improving the competence of teachers and developing teaching material.

The NIP envisages achievement of these objectives by collaborating with provincial governments and the National Commission on Human Development (NCHD).

The Sindh Education project aims at supporting the Sindh government in implementing a component of the Compulsory Primary Education Ordinance 2001 in 16 districts of Sindh. The goal is to help increase by 60 percent the enrolment of boys and girls at primary level, aged 5-9 who are out of school.

In northern Pakistan an education project with the Aga Khan Foundation worth euro 20 million is part of the NIP strategy to help increase the number of education centres and qualified women available in developmental activities. Apart from it, the NIP aims to improve human resources in education sector in collaboration with local authorities and communities.

In trade and promotion of business sector the NIP objective is to foster a trade and business environment conducive to enhancing EU-Pakistan economic relations. It also aims at supporting institutional capacity building to enable Pakistan to maximise the benefits arising out of current negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda and the implementation of existing WTO agreements.

Under the Child Labour Programme the NIP, in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan, seeks to progressively eliminate all forms of child labour by means of various interventions like empowerment of poor families, development of social safety net, strengthening of the monitoring and evaluation system and immediate withdrawal and rehabilitation of children from hazardous and exploitative environments.

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