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Sur Kamar, FATA, September 27 2005: A teacher of the “Sur Kamar Government Primary school,” located in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), is explaining the teaching methods to the U.S. National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley. Governor of NWFP, Mr. Khalilur Rehman, and the USAID Director, Lisa Chiles were also present at the occasion. USAID provided funding for the construction of a new building for the school.
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Peshawar -- Four hundred boys attending the Sur Kamar Government primary school started classes this year in a brand new, two-story building with Islamic design features. This is the first school building to be completed in Khyber Agency under a program jointly financed by the United States and the Government of Japan in collaboration with the FATA Secretariat. The school was formally opened in a celebration at the school including students, teachers and school administration along with the Governor of NWFP and donor representatives on September 27.
The Government Primary School for Boys in Khyber Agency was constructed and furnished under the FATA School Reconstruction Program. Under this program, a total of 130 government schools will be reconstructed with the same design in all seven FATA agencies. The USAID grant for the program is $4.7 million and the Government of Japan grant is $2.5 million. Every school will have classrooms for each grade and a teachers’ room. Sanitary and drinking water facilities are added by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for $800,000.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, on his first visit to Pakistan, stated "people of FATA should be very proud that their government is striving to provide better school facilities for teachers and students of the area." He emphasized the importance of ensuring access to education for the children in FATA and that making schools an enjoyable place to learn is an important step towards convincing parents that their children can receive a quality education. Thanking the Governments of United States and Japan for their support, the Governor of NWFP said the FATA Directorate of Education will ensure schools have an adequate number of teachers who are qualified and trained. The Ambassador of the United States, representatives of USAID and the construction contractors also graced the occasion.
The United States is providing more than $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years through USAID. Its programs include education, health, economic growth and governance.
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