September 26, 2003	Friday	Rajab 28, 1424

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LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Sept 25: United States and Pakistan on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Jamrud in Khyber Agency to help repair and rehabilitate schools in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

According to the MoU, the USAID would launch a $2.5 million project to rehabilitate 130 schools in the seven tribal agencies. The launching ceremony was held at the Government Elementary College for Teachers in Jamrud. US Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell, NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah and Chief Secretary NWFP Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi attended the ceremony.

The project is aimed at improving the quality of education in underdeveloped areas and is part of the US efforts to assist Pakistan in this sector. The repair and rehabilitation work would be carried out by Pakistani firms while furniture would also be provided under the scheme.

The MoU was signed from the US side by USAID Director Mark Ward and from Pakistan side by Secretary to Governor NWFP Sahibzada Saeed.

US Ambassador Nancy Powell highlighted the importance of education, saying that education ensured freedom, better life and increased the people’s productivity besides providing stimulus to the economic sector, generating job opportunities, adding: “Educated people always works for peace and security”.

Stressing the need for inducting skilled and professional teachers, she expressed the hope that the project would help improve the quality of education in tribal areas, adding that the US government would continue extending its support to make tribal areas a safer and peaceful region.

The NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah thanked the US government for its financial assistance in the education sector.

The governor said that the government considered education among its top priorities, adding that it making efforts to provide better education facilities all over the province, specially the Fata areas.