MANSEHRA, Nov 12: The groundbreaking ceremony for the building of the education faculty at Hazara University was held on Monday.

The project will be completed with the $1.5 million financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Hazara University is the first among the seven countrywide universities, where USAID will provide $15 million for raising buildings for education faculty over the next two years to offer the associate degree in education programme.

Hazara University vice chancellor Sakhawat Shah performed the groundbreaking in absence of Governor Masood Kausar, who failed to show up for being ill.

State Minister for Technical and Professional Education Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf, Senior Education Adviser to USAID Tariq Khan and others spoke on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the vice chancellor said the USAID project would improve quality of education and strengthen academic and research work in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said new teaching programme would not only build the capacity of teachers but would also motivate students to mobilise their full intellectual potential in the learning process.

On the occasion, minister Shahjehan Yousaf emphasised the importance of female education and regretted that the rate of female literacy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan was poor compared with that of Punjab.

He appreciated United States Agency for International Development for beginning a programme for increasing the training capability and classroom performance of teachers through degree programmes.

He said under the programme, teachers would be exposed to modern techniques of effective learning based on social values and psychological temperament of students in order to involve them with entire interest in the classroom teaching.

Tariq Khan of USAID told participants that the building of new faculty of education would go a long way in improvement of quality of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said during the next two years, USAID would provide $15 million for the construction of seven education faculty buildings across the country for offering the associate degree in education.

Mr Khan said United States Agency for International Development in collaboration with the Pakistani government was striving for the improvement of education throughout the country.

Later, the vice chancellor distributed medals, certificates and laptops to 49 female education graduates.