UK pledges continued support for Pakistani educational initiatives

Celina Ali

Islamabad : British High Commissioner Jane Marriott this week announced that her country will continue supporting educational initiatives and cultural exchanges in Pakistan.

The announcement came as Ms Marriott visited the Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3 along with education secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani and examined facilities, including the library, gym, IT park, IT labs, Google labs, and art room.

She appreciated the ‘vibrant learning environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure’ and highlighted the role of such initiatives in promoting education and strengthening relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

The British envoy said that with UK funding, Teach For Pakistan, a national non-profit company, had trained over 500 talented university graduates and young professionals through a two-year fellowship.

Fellows are trained to advance student learning and to work in schools that are experiencing challenges in low-income regions. Over 34,000 students, including around 23,000 girls, have benefited from the initiative, according to her. The principal thanked Ms Marriott for the visit and support. The British envoy later watched a street cricket match in the college’s playground.

The event, organised by the British High Commission with support from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, brought together Teach For Pakistan, Lahore Qalandars, Pakistan Cricket Board women players, and Barmy Army, a group of British cricket fans known for supporting the English cricket team in both domestic and international matches.

The British high commissioner said it was electric to see seasoned professionals like Tania Saeed, Humna Bilal, Syed Faridoun Mehmood and Salman Fayaaz play with students, who were clearly the future of Pakistan’s cricket.

“I can’t wait to see the kids in today’s match one day play against England in a future test match series,” she said.

CEO of Teach For Pakistan Khadija Bakhtiar said a happy and safe learning space where students looked forward to participating in intellectually and physically invigorating activities was the bedrock of Teach For Pakistan’s approach to whole child development.

She said today’s match was yet another stride in that direction via the Teach For Pakistan’s partnership with FCDO and the education ministry.