Primary school students learning in their new classroom equipped with new furniture and educational materials by USAID | Photo: Mehdi Ali Khan, USAIDNearly 50 million Pakistanis (half the country's adult population) cannot read. Only 60 percent of Pakistani children complete 10 years of school, and only 10 percent complete 12 years. Since 2002, USAID's education program has invested over $682 million to reform and revitalize Pakistan's education system.

Improving Access through Infrastructure and Facilities

USAID increases access to education for Pakistanis by rehabilitating inadequate and damaged school facilities, and building new schools. It is constructing and equipping science and computer laboratories for teachers' colleges in several cities. USAID will upgrade and rehabilitate thousands of schools nationwide. This effort will include parents and communities in school management and planning. The need of girls will receive special attention. Adding to these efforts, USAID will fund the construction of additional schools. To ensure that more Pakistani children attend school and graduate, USAID is expanding a school-feeding program in the most food-insecure areas of Pakistan.

Improving Education Quality

To improve teacher performance and skills development, USAID's projects are upgrading the qualifications of current teachers and developing a comprehensive program for pre-service teacher training. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, USAID is developing national standards for accreditation and improving coordination among teacher training institutions. Together with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), USAID is working to institutionalize pre-service teacher education reforms at universities and colleges. By supporting the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), USAID ensures that education data is valid and is used for planning and management at the school and district levels. In other programs, USAID addresses students' classroom learning needs through child-centered teaching methods, curriculum pacing guides, and improvements to teaching and learning in math, science, computers and English.

Providing Opportunities and Promoting Collaboration

Primary school students participating in a new learning curriculum, less dependent on rote learning and encouraging critical-thinking skills | Photo: CRI To develop a cadre of experts and leaders in the areas of agriculture, science and technology, social science and business, USAID invests heavily in Pakistan's higher education institutions, merit- and needs-based scholarships and international exchanges. The merit- and needs-based scholarship program in collaboration with the HEC provides thousands of needy students with scholarships for degree programs at Pakistani universities. Pakistan has the largest Fulbright program in the world, which is funded by USAID, giving hundreds of Pakistani students the opportunities to obtain master's degrees and doctorates in the United States. USAID works with the HEC to develop a National Student Financial Aid System, which will ensure access to sources of funding including grants, work study and loans for students.

Assisting higher education institutions to better educate students, USAID supports university partnership programs between U.S. and two Pakistani universities, and also supports a college in Lahore in developing a four-year bachelor's degree program. USAID is assisting the Peshawar University's human rights faculty to build its capacity in legal education, human rights and gender.

USAID-sponsored Math Day at boys' primary school | Photo: CRI Together with the Ministry of Science and Technology and HEC, USAID supports the Pakistan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperative Program, implemented by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, by providing grants to support collaboration between Pakistani and U.S. scientists, engineers and health care specialists. This will promote Pakistani expertise and development in agriculture, water, health, and environmental sciences.