The United States (US) will announce the launch of the Pakistan Reading Project (PRP) on International Literary Day to boost the reading skills of 3.2 million Pakistani children.
The project will fund improvement in reading instruction and reading assessment in Pakistani public schools from grade one to grade five.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which is partnering regional governments and Pakistani civil society organisations, will implement the $160 million project in an estimated 38,000 public schools over the next five years.
The launch of this program on the International Literacy Day, observed annually on September 8, demonstrates the commitment of the US and its Pakistani partners to improve reading and writing skills.
After the agreement was signed between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and IRC, USAID Mission Director Gregory Gottlieb said “The PRP will provide Pakistani children an opportunity to develop skills which are essential for success in higher education and in the workplace. Children who do not learn to read in the first few grades of school will struggle to keep up with classroom assignments in later grades.”
IRC Chief of Party John Shumaker said, “The IRC is honored to work on such an important project which will help improve the quality of education for millions of Pakistani children.”
The initiative is part of a comprehensive US education assistance programme which includes building or rehabilitating nearly 800 schools; launching new degree programs in education at 90 colleges and universities; providing scholarships to 12,000 students to study in Pakistan and operating the largest Fulbright academic exchange program in the world.
