ADB approves $75 million loan for education project in Sindh.

Byline: Imran Ali Kundi

ISLAMABAD -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $75 million loan for a project that will help improve the quality, accessibility, and gender responsiveness of the secondary education system and infrastructure in the province of Sindh.

Pakistan has 22.8 million out-of-school children, 28% of whom are in Sindh. The province also has the second-lowest gross enrollment ratios and net enrollment rates at all education levels in the country. The secondary education sector faces challenges ranging from outdated and dilapidated infrastructure, lack of access to schooling particularly for girls and poor teaching and learning quality, especially for core subjects including language, mathematics, and science.

The ADB had already approved lending for Pakistan. The ADB had recently approved Country Operations Business Plan (COBP) 2020-22 that would increase the average lending to Pakistan to $2.4 billion per year from earlier $1.4 billion a year. Meanwhile, the ADB would provide $2.5 billion in approved financing to Pakistan in calendar year 2019. According to the COBP, the indicative resources available for commitment during 2020-2022 for sovereign operations total at $5.7 billion, comprising $4.3 billion for regular ordinary capital resources (OCR) lending and $1.4 billion for concessional OCR lending (COL).

In a latest development, ADB approved $75 million for Sindh. 'Given the province's strategic location, economic importance, and young workforce, Sindh has the potential to transform itself into a key driver of economic growth and development in Pakistan,' said ADB Principal Education Specialist for Central and West Asia Norman LaRocque. 'Efforts to improve the education system and infrastructure in the province are important to ensuring that graduates have the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute...

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