UAE project helps thousands of children get back to school in KP

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a bid to improve the destroyed infrastructure of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa has completed 40 schools under an assistance project which have helped thousands of children back to schools. At least 21,000 boys and girls faces lit up as they went back to newly built schools and world class rooms in a stunningly scenic but backward area like Swat. These schools and institutes in different parts of Swat was handed over to the concerned authorities at a special ceremony late Monday which was graced by Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of the Project, Major General Zahir Shah, Commander of the GOC 45th Engineers Division of the Pakistani Armed Forces, a group of Pakistani army commanders and senior government officials.
“UAE Project to Assist Pakistan” which envisaged investment in four major sectors like education, public health, roads and bridges is being undertaken under the directive of the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said a news release of the UAE embassy here on Tuesday.
Al Ghafli and the senior accompanying civilian and military attendants unveiled the plaque to formally open the schools which would go a long way to promote education and development in the area.
In his remarks on the occasion the project director Al Ghali thanked President Khalifa for the grant which constituted a necessary, qualitative addition for improving and upgrading the education sector infrastructure in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The senior officials and the project director also went round the school building and inspected classes, scientific and computer laboratories, sports facilities and other support services, it said. They also met with the school principal, teaching and administrative staff.
Al Ghafli also opened another school for girls and toured its various sections and got appreciation from the parents present on the occasion. The project comes within the framework of the good efforts by the UAE to help Arab and Islamic countries as one of the leading donors in the field of humanitarian aid and international development around the world. In view of its close brotherly relations, UAE was carrying out various development projects in the area as only last month a $12.6 million Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan bridge over the Swat river was completed which would link a large number of cities and villages on the two banks of Swat River.