ISLAMABAD, July 19: Pakis-tan is likely to get $100 million from the United States over a period of five years for education sector development, sources in the education ministry told Dawn on Friday.

In this regard, the two countries are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to Islamabad, later this month.

The fund will be provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the education sector reforms support programme.

According to the ministry officials, the USAID was expected to release $15 million in the current year; $25 million each in 2003, 2004, 2005; and $10 million in 2006.

The financing gap of education sector reforms will be bridged through donors’ funding, they said, adding that donations from other donor countries were also expected shortly for the continuation of the reforms related projects.

It may be added that USAID had suspended aid to Pakistan in 1992.

The US funding aimed at providing knowledge, training and infrastructure to help officials and citizens develop high quality education programmes for girls and boys throughout the country.

The officials said USAID would help the government and provinces strengthen the national and local capacity to benefit from experiences gained in Pakistan and other countries to improve education sector policies.

The US agency would also assist the government in planning and implementing better primary education programme.

Under the programme, teacher training, curriculum and the ability to deliver quality education will be improved.

The key education administrators-principles and local education department officials will be trained to improve policy and planning, and successful adaptation of higher education standards and curriculum.

Through this programme, the officials said, public-private partnerships would be encouraged and supported to enhance availability of resources for education and literacy programmes, and strengthen community involvement in primary education and adult and youth literacy programme.

In addition to this, the programme aims at enhancing access to education for girls, improving education quality and facilitating development skills needed for a developing economy and society.

The government and United States Agency for International Development would work with communities to ensure that the physical infrastructure needed to encourage girls’ attendance existed in primary school.

It would also work with the National Education Foundation and the provincial education foundations to strengthen these institutions to expand and improve the delivery of private sector support for public schools.

Through this programme, the youth and adult literacy would be increased, especially benefiting those youths who were not attending any school, the officials added.