CDWP Approves Rs. 45.7M Education Project
During the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting led by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Jehanzeb Khan, a development project valued at Rs. 45.69 million was approved, while three others were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
The gathering comprised Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, senior officials from the Planning Commission, Federal Ministries/Divisions, and Chairman/ACS (Dev) from Provincial Governments. Discussions primarily revolved around projects in the education, physical planning, and housing sectors.
One of the projects, the “Getting Results Access and Delivery of Quality Education Services (GRADES) Punjab Project,” worth Rs. 42.750 billion, aims to address learning losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in Punjab. Despite multiple measures like SOPs, curriculum adjustments, re-enrollment drives, and remote learning initiatives, the pandemic’s impact on education indicators remains visible. The World Bank is set to provide funding through a loan, with $96.877 million allocated on a project basis and $53.123 million through Performance Based Conditions (PBC).
Another education sector project, the “Sindh Basic Education Program,” valued at Rs. 20,060 million, is proposed for consideration by ECNEC. This initiative is expected to receive funding from foreign sources, primarily $154.978 million from USAID and a contribution of approximately Rs. 870 million ($10 million) from the Government of Sindh.
Additionally, the CDWP approved the “Capacity Building of Education Managers (CBEM) (2nd Revised)” project worth Rs. 45.69 million after thorough deliberation. A project related to physical planning and housing, the “Flood Response Emergency Housing Project (Revised),” worth Rs. 296,000 million, was also recommended to ECNEC.
For the housing project, the Sindh government will contribute Rs. 50,000 million, while the financing will include a World Bank loan of $500 million (equivalent to Rs. 140,000 million) and Islamic Development Bank funding of $200 million (equivalent to Rs. 56,000 million). It aims to aid flood-affected individuals across Sindh in house reconstruction and repairs, with an implementation period of 36 months.