KARACHI – The School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Friday organized a roadshow and pre-bid meeting for outsourcing the management of five packages of government schools in Larkana, Kamber, Shahdadkot, Dadu and Karachi.
A large number of representatives from prospective organizations attended the event and were briefed about the Education Management Organizations (EMOs) reforms of the Sindh government.
The road show also provided an opportunity for first-hand interaction between potential bidders and representatives of schools, communities, development partners and district government officers, allowing them to gain further insight about Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP) schools under the EMO initiative.
It served as an opportunity for renowned organizations to interact with stakeholders for designing innovative and effective proposals to partner with the Sindh government to bring quality education to children in the province through a safe and conducive learning environment.
SELD Secretary Qazi Shahid Pervaiz appreciated all stakeholders for their dedication towards improving education, and thanked USAID for the generous financial assistance under SBEP.
USAID Director for Sindh and Balochistan, Michael Hryshchyshyn mentioned that USAID is also providing comprehensive technical assistance to the Sindh government for implementation of the EMO policy reform, which has provided essential institutional, financial and management sustainability to the investments under SBEP.
He congratulated the Sindh government for pioneering the design and implementation of this flagship public private partnership program along with USAID, which will benefit more than 80,000 girls and boys in Sindh and also has great potential for implementation by other provinces.
The US government through USAID is contributing $159.2 million under SBEP with a $10 million cost share by the Sindh government.
The Program is helping increase and sustain student enrollment in primary, middle, and secondary public schools in target areas of Sindh, with special focus on bringing back girls who have dropped out of schools.
In addition to constructing schools, the SBEP also supports the government’s reforms in education, school consolidation, merging and upgrading, community mobilization, public-private partnerships and improving reading competencies of students in schools.
