Pakistan, Japan sign agreement to reconstruct educational facilities

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan and Japan this week signed an agreement worth $5.3 million for the reconstruction of educational facilities in flood-affected areas in Sindh.

A signing ceremony for the Exchange of Notes and Grant Agreement between the Governments of Pakistan and Japan regarding “The Programme for Reconstruction of Educational Facilities in Flood affected Areas in Sindh” was held at the Economic Affairs Division.

Under this grant, nine fully damaged school buildings will be reconstructed in six districts of the province. This will help to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for students, with a special focus on enhancing access of girls to education.

Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA KINOSHITA, while speaking at the event said “We believe that the new grant aid project will build not only school buildings, but also it will build brighter and more resilient future for the next generation of Pakistan”.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is the fourth grant aid through which the Government of Japan supports the improvement of educational facilities in Sindh province. It has been reported that the school buildings assisted by Japan in the past projects suffered less damage and destruction from the rainfall and flooding in 2022 because they were designed and constructed based on analysis of the 2010 floods. The new project will also incorporate the concept of “Build Back Better” to reduce the vulnerability of the target schools to future disasters and build resilience in communities where the schools are located.