PESHAWAR, April 19: The government has spent Rs73 million out of an allocation of Rs103 million under the Second Science Education Project (SSEP) on various developmental schemes for bolstering education infrastructure in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

“The SSEP was started in 2001-02 with Rs88.763 million financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) while the government of Pakistan pumped Rs15.154 million into the project,” Ajab Khan Khattak, Project Director said here on Wednesday.

He said out of 65 multi purpose laboratories (MPLs) and mathematical resource rooms (MRRs) planned for FATA, 52 had been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs36.4 million while construction of 13 laboratories was in progress.

All the completed laboratories have been equipped with science apparatus and other materials, he added. The project director hoped that the remaining laboratories would be completed before expiry of the project deadline in June.

In reply to a question about completion of ongoing projects before expiry of SSEP, Ajab Khan said the federal coordinating unit (FCU) of the ministry of education had sent a recommendatory letter to the Asian Development Bank for extension of the project deadline by at least six months.

He said they had distributed free text books of science and mathematics among students of 9th and 10th classes in Fata and adjoining areas. He said 372 elementary teachers, 361 secondary teachers and 33 computer teachers had been given training. A total of eight teachers were sent to Australia and Malaysia, he added.—APP