RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) and Education Fund for Sindh (EFS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide an access to quality education to out-of-school children in the province.

Both the organisations will combine their resources under a joint steering committee to provide support to EFS intermediary partners. This will enable the implementing partners to expand their scope of activities with a special focus on improving education in rural Sindh.

“The government of Sindh, the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) and the Education Fund for Sindh (EFS) share a common vision of providing access to quality, cost-effective education to every child in the province and indeed to every child in the country,” said Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Senior Minister for Education and Literacy.

“The government is committed to providing universal education as outlined under the 18th Amendment. The Foundation has now a reach to over 250,000 students and majority of these are in some of the most under-developed regions of the province,” the minister added.

Sindh Secretary for Education & Literacy Dr Fazlullah Pechuho said that with the assistance of USAID, in addition to rehabilitation and reconstruction of 120 schools, a full-fledged Sindh Reading Programme and Sindh community mobilisation program was also under advanced stage of implementation.

Dr Pechuho further said that under the Sindh Teachers Elementary Training Program, funded by Canadian International Development Agency, the department had provided training to over 4,400 teachers. “I am certain that both our teachers and students will reap enormous benefits from these initiatives,” he added.

“Sindh government is making commendable efforts towards improving access and quality of education to the children in the province. This initiative is just a beginning and EFS will endeavour to extend its full cooperation and support to the government of Sindh,” said Kamran Mirza, Chairman EFS.

He said that EFS was confident that this collaboration would set the model for an effective public-private partnership to address the education emergency.

Speaking at the occasion, Naheed S Durrani, Managing Director, SEF, said: “The Sindh Education Foundation realises that it can play a vital role in aiding the government in its efforts towards improving schooling in the province, especially in marginalised populations.

The Foundation has recently committed itself to enrolling nearly 100,000 out-of-school children under its various programs, including Promoting Private Schooling in Rural Sindh (PPRS) and SEF Assisted Schools (SAS).”