ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: A sum of $60 million will be spent till 2006 on professional development of education managers, capacity building of teachers and upgradation of educational infrastructure at district level in Pakistan, Mary Fontaine, deputy chief of party, Education Sector Reforms Assistant Programme (ESRA) of USAID, told Dawn.

She said teachers’ uplift was one of the important components of ESRA, being implemented on behalf of the USAID and Pakistan, under which teachers would also be given financial assistance.

“Teaching is a low-paid profession all over the world and as professionals, teachers do not enjoy the level of respect which normally other professionals do.

“Unfortunately, the status of teachers even in the developed world, including the US, is not on par with other professionals such as doctors, engineers, etc., who, considering their role in nation building, should be additionally awarded both in cash and kind,” Ms Mary added.

The World Teachers Day is being observed on Sunday and a number of activities have been organized to mark the event.

She said out of the 105 districts in Pakistan, 40 were in very low literacy regions, 43 in the low literacy, 15 in high literacy and only seven in very high literacy regions.

“Given this scenario, no nation can even think of making progress, no matter how great efforts in other fields are made, as literacy and development go hand in hand,” she said.

In order to bring about a qualitative change in the scenario, ESRA has joined hands with the government of Pakistan to develop national guidelines for adult and youth literacy which would be supported by training manuals and literacy packages, she said.

“Our main focus is on developing sustainable infrastructure with active collaboration of local governments and teachers even at the primary level,” she said.

In this regard, USAID has started a whole district initiative (WDI) programme to make district level education system fully functional with a view to ensure 90 per cent enrolment, she said.

Under the WDI process, Ms Mary added, supporting the district’s capacity to develop appropriate education policies, planning for their implementation and monitoring their progress and effectiveness would be pursued.

Overcoming the barriers of local and household poverty, including those posed by poor health and nutrition, will also be given due attention, she added.

WDI districts also can serve as a beacon for other districts as they will tread the development path, catalysing future and far-reaching reforms and initiatives besides offering opportunities for donors to engage in further intensive support work in education.

Answering a question, Ms Mary said WDI would respond fully to the government’s devolution strategy while paying equal attention to quality of education and providing all young people with opportunities to learn.

Initially, WDI has been launched in the districts of Sukkur, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Thatta in Sindh, and Balochistan’s Qila Saifullah, Turbat and Gwader.

Close interaction and cooperation of all the stakeholders — provincial governments, educators, district Nazims, district education officers, parents, communities — have been kept in mind under the WDI.

While WDI will focus on the government education sector, it also recognizes the vital role being played by private schools and madressahs in primary and secondary education in many districts.

The implementation of WDI at district level will be undertaken mainly through the relevant governments and local NGOs, supported by ESRA-funded national consultations and organizations.