WASHINGTON, July 21: Pakistan has proposed a $1.3 billion 10-year education plan to the US to help improve the quality of higher education in the country and to promote science and technology.

This envisages an investment of $130 million each year, $90 million by the US and $40 million by Pakistan.

“We are hopeful that this plan will be accepted,” Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Attaur Rehman told a briefing.

Dr Rehman, who was here to attend the first meeting of the Pakistan-US joint committee on science and technology, said the plan involved setting up centres of excellence in Pakistan and training of Pakistani scientists and engineers in the US. The centres will be established in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad and in the NWFP.