Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agaahi (ITA) officially launched Dubai Cares Project in Pakistan at a ceremony held recently at a local hotel. According to a press release, the ceremony which began with a short overview of the programme was followed by an official declaration of the launch of Dubai Care Project by Sindh's additional chief secretary (Education and Literacy), Dr Fazlullah Pechuho.
Senior programme officer (Education) - Open Society Foundation - Nargis Sultana, Sindh's chief programme manager (Education and Literacy), Saba Mahmood; Balochistan Policy and Planning Implementation Unit's deputy focal person, Dr Kamaluddin and Punjab's deputy director (DSD), Mohammad Shahid Saleem, were also present on the occasion. The project titled "Improving learning outcomes, enrolment and transitions from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to primary education, especially for girls and vulnerable groups in Pakistan", is the third project funded by Dubai Cares with ITA chosen as its implementing partner in Pakistan.
The three-year programme (from January 2014 till December 2016) reaches out across the nation, targeting 520 schools with 385,800 beneficiaries. It was designed in consultation with various stakeholders and policy-making officials in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. The programme is aimed at addressing quality and equity issues in education, specifically targeting ECE (3-5 years), enhanced enrolment and learning outcomes of out of school children, children at risk in schools and transition from ECE to primary and post-primary education.
The programme is also aimed at achieving national/global commitments towards MDGs/EFA, besides the Project's targets are aligned to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) agreements in Sindh and Balochistan. The scope of the programme is extensively focused on Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab for all components.-PR