World Bank to fund $200m for KP’s health, education project

Published May 24, 2020
The financing from the International Develop­ment Association (IDA) involves $137.50m as soft loan and $62.50m as grant assistance. — AFP/File
The financing from the International Develop­ment Association (IDA) involves $137.50m as soft loan and $62.50m as grant assistance. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank will provide financing worth $200 million for a project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve the availability, utilisation and quality of primary healthcare and elementary education services in selected districts of the province.

The financing from the International Develop­ment Association (IDA) involves $137.50m as soft loan and $62.50m as grant assistance.

The project will target four districts: Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi and Haripur, which cover close to a quarter of the provincial population, and host two-thirds of the Afghan refugee population.

Under the project, the delivery of quality primary health care services will be strengthened by contributing to improved efficiency and resilience of the health system in the four districts, including supporting those districts dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

An important element of the project is to improve availability and quality of educational opportunities to all children, especially refugees and girls, in selected refugee hosting districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The proposed interventions would benefit both in-and out of-school children and take into account the need to cater to for the current school disruptions resulting from Covid-19.

Specific attention is required for girls, given the province’s large gender gap in education, and for refugees as a core vulnerable group. Districts with the largest concentration of refugees tend to lag behind in human development outcomes.

On average in such districts, children complete fewer than five years of schooling and one in five children are not receiving full immunisation.

Female refugees face considerable constraints in accessing education and employment.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2020

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...