ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: The Netherlands will provide an assistance of $140 million for Pakistan’s ‘education for all’ (EFA) programme in the next four years. The Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne, said this while addressing a joint press conference with Irish Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights Conor Lenihan TD after they called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here on Sunday.

She said an amount of $35 million was available for the year 2006.

By the year 2015, there should be education for all in Pakistan with equal opportunities for girls and boys,” said Ms Ardenne, adding that the amount would be available within the coming four years.

She said that in the coming years, the Netherlands wanted to contribute to the goal of education for all in Pakistan and emphasized that special attention should be paid to early childhood education and quality of textbooks. “Now the Netherlands would not only develop cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of good governance and environment, but basic education as well,” she added.

The contribution by the Netherlands is meant to stimulate provinces to develop and implement their own educational plans, aiming to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations,” Ms Ardenne said.

She said Pakistan was responsible for providing education to its children and her country would support it through financial assistance and advisory services.

She called for a uniform syllabus for private and public sector schools and Madressahs and said the Netherlands was ready to assist Pakistan in developing such a curriculum.

She said her country would also be ready to assist Pakistan in training teachers to ensure better education.

The Dutch minister observed that there should be a focus on girls education and pointed out that during her visit to earthquake hit areas she found that only two per cent women were able to read and write. “They cannot read the Holy Quran which lays emphasis on human dignity of every person,” she said.

She said the Dutch government allocated an amount of $33 million for emergency relief to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Oct 8 earthquake out of which $12 million were being used for tent schools.

Replying to a question, she appreciated the idea of formation of a parliamentary committee on relief activities.

She said it was a happy sign that children had started going to schools, shops had opened and people had started returning to normal life in the quake-affected areas.

Answering a question about President Gen Pervez Musharraf seeking greater market access for Pakistan, she said: “We have to open our markets for the poor and less developed countries.”

She said that Pakistan could play a bridging role between the G-20 and G-77.

Irish Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights Conor Lenihan said that Ireland would contribute additional five million euros to the relief and recovery effort following the earthquake disaster.

This brings Ireland’s total relief and recovery package for disaster to 10 million euros.