PESHAWAR, Feb 12: International donor agencies have started pouring heavy amount of funds into the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) education sector and other fields.

Officials sources said that it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that international donor agencies and world's economic powers including the United States of America and Japan had pledged huge investments, particularly, in the Fata education sector.

"Foreign funded projects involving total investment of over Rs890 million have recently been launched to improve education standards in Fata," said a development planner associated with the newly undertaken development initiatives in the tribal region, adjoining the NWFP.

The planner said that since the inception of the country, the NWFP received some 18 foreign funded education sector projects, while Fata received not a single project.

"The after effects of the war on terrorism and the suspected presence of Taliban and Al Qaeda elements in Fata has come as a blessing in disguise for the people of the tribal areas in view of the increasing flow of foreign funds to bring these areas, at least, at par with the settled parts of the country," said a senior officer.

Infrastructure and other facilities at 130 existing schools, situated in different parts of Fata, would be improved under a foreign funded project being jointly funded by the US aid and the government of Japan. The project involves a total estimated investment of Rs300 million.

Similarly, Asian Development Bank would investment over Rs100 million in Fata under the science and education project. The project, said the sources, was aimed at revamping science education in Fata.

Under the project, science teachers would be inducted in Fata's public sector education institutions. In addition to that science laboratories would be established in the public sector education institutions and equipment to support science research would be procured to improve science education facilities.

Some 350 community schools would be established in different parts of Fata at an estimated cost of Rs445 million under an other foreign funded project. Out of the total investment, the government of Pakistan would provide 'counter part funding' of Rs145 million, whereas, remaining Rs300 million would be provided by NORAD - a leading international organization supporting development initiatives.

Apart from the three projects, with a total investment of Rs45 million, a project under the National Education System Assessment has been launched to assess the Fata education system.

Unesco would provide technical assistance to execute the project, the sources said. Besides, a foreign funded project involving total investment of $58 million project would shortly be launched in Fata to improve the tribal regions' water and agriculture sectors.

Nine small dams, 60 schemes of soil conservation and flood protection, 40 micro hydel projects have been planned to be executed under the project.