USAID to fund rebuilding of schools hit by flooding, militancy in KP
Internally displaced children from the tribal regions attend a makeshift Unicef school. – File photo by AFP
PESHAWAR, July 23: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would receive $25 million assistance from United States Agency for International Development for reconstruction of damaged school buildings in its flood and militancy affected areas other than Malakand, official sources said.
The provincial government and USAID signed an ‘activity agreement’ a few days ago on the basis of which school buildings damaged by floods and militants in areas other than Malakand division would be reconstructed, a well placed official told Dawn on Monday.
“The number of schools to be reconstructed with this money would be known once we determine our needs following an assessment exercise that would be carried out in the near future,” he said.
In this regard, according to sources, the elementary and secondary education department and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) will work together to assess the damaged schools that are to be reconstructed in the flood and militancy affected parts of the province other than Malakand division.
More than 11,000 schools were damaged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a result of the 2010 devastating flood, rendering a large number of students without education facilities.
While a large number of the partially damaged schools are being reconstructed with funds provided by UK’s Department for International Development, bilateral donors, including UAE and Qatar, have also extended financial assistance for reconstructing school buildings.
A PDMA official said that provincial government had undertaken activities on a large scale to reconstruct flood damaged schools in various parts of the province. But there were still many more schools in various parts of the province for which funds were required, he added.
“The joint assessment will enable the government to know how many of the flood affected schools remain to be reconstructed following which the government would exactly know how many of the schools would be reconstructed by utilising the fresh $25 million USAID funds,” said the official.
The information, once available with the government, would be shared with the donor to chalk out future course of action, the official added.
The $25 million funding line being provided by USAID would be in addition to an identical amount the agency has extended for reconstructing about 110 destroyed school buildings in the militancy affected parts of Malakand division.
A majority of these under-reconstruction school buildings, according to sources, are scheduled to complete by December 31, 2012.
The latest agreement would expand the scope of USAID work in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education sector to a wider area of the province, taking its school building projects to Peshawar, Swabi, Mardan, and some of the southern districts.
In addition to USAID, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is also optimistic about receiving $200 million for reconstruction activities from the United Arab Emirates under the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, according to official sources.
“The Abu Dhabi Fund money would be utilised to strengthen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s communication and education sectors, carrying out development projects in the affected parts,” said an official.
The provincial government, added the official, had identified three projects for execution under the Abu Dhabi Fund. These include the proposed construction of Swat Expressway, the establishment of a university at Swat. Besides, some of the damaged buildings of schools and colleges would be reconstructed in the affected parts of the province.
“We are waiting for the projects’ approval from the donor,” said the official, adding that the provincial government was in contact with the Economic Affairs Division, Islamabad, to materialise the funding commitment the UAE made after the floods in 2010.
Being from KP, i seriously doubt this money will reach the schools
please build schools to develop the nation.be sincere,
TWO THUMBS UP.
I think US should also divert Pakistan's military aid to Schools and colleges. This way, the generation that comes out in next 10-20 years will be able to diffrentiate between benefits of living in 14th. century vs. 21st. century. Most of the military aid ends up in Generals overseas accounts and also used up to fund jihadis to create problems all over the world.
USAID Thankyou!I hope there will be no new drones for this AID.
Are these the children of a 'lesser God'…???
All the foreign aid received by Pakistan goes into the pockets of corrupt ministers, rulers and leaders,
I am just wondering how much wealth these non-God fearing culprits need for themselves or for their family or for their un-ethical life with wine, women and saving moneys in foreign bank accounts.
Pakistan is sure a failed state with so mcuh poverty, no education, no health benefits for pregnant women, no justice for women working under immoral landlords and no justice at all.
Only God can help these poor people and wipe out the landlords, jagirdaars and corrupt politicians. Iqbal Hussain. USA
Foreign aid to Pakistan again? With strings attached of course! lol! Probably a waste of US, Australian, UK , China, Saudi and many other countries taxpayers money.. Most people i speak to from the Pakistan flood regions havnt seen anything much spent on rebuilding after the floods , despite all the billions of foreign aid already given to Pakistan in the last two years, without any of these countries ensuring it has been spent wisely. 'Word on the street" says it ends up mostly in corrupt politicians swiss bank accounts with their dual passport and nationalities, ready to flee the country and live in luxury overseas, afterall they all know by now they are going to lose their prized parlimentary positions in the upcoming election very soon. Poor Pakistanis, maybe instead of relying on foreign aid, they just need to elect some socially responsible, financially wise and selfless leaders next time,
Let us hope this money actually finds its way into building the institutions and does not end up in the coffers of the already rich and irresponsible. Most probably back in the same countries , where it came from.
Where would Pakistan be without foreign aid? Two years have passed and your government could not even rebuild schools.I wonder what the fate of those affected by your previous floods must be.Thanks to the USAID and other countries for their help.Yet there are thousands of your people that condemn and curse them.You Pakistanis are an enigma.
Who built all these thousands of schools colleges and universities and highways in the first place? Pakistan and not foreign donors. The floods of 2010 were of biblical proportions. No government in world alone could rebuild those thousands of schools, bridges and roads on its own. Pakistan is also fighting a war which has further devastated it economy, still Pakistan did not let a single person die from hunger or diseases after floods, but primary emphasis was on rebuilding millions of destroyed houses, farms and livestock, not schools and there Pakistan did a wonderful job. Same way, after the massive earthquake few year earlier Pakistan's effort was regarded by some UN officials as a text book case of disaster management , other countries could learn from.
How much aid is your country receiving?
Good move by USAID. Thank you.
Wish the money will be spent wisely and will not end up in the pockets of corrupt politicians and corrupt government contractors.