An agreement to provide solar panels for schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was announced in mid-February by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). The agreement, which will provide energy for primary schools in the southern districts of the province, was signed with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) at a local hotel.
Over the next two years UNOPS will implement the project on behalf of the government of KP years with £6.5m of funding jointly committed by DFID and SFD. While addressing the signing ceremony, DFID Head Joanna Reid said; “We know that Pakistan has an education emergency. The UK is committed to helping the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to tackle that emergency in their province. I am confident that the provision of electricity in the schools of the southern districts of KP will eventually get more boys and girls to go to school and get the quality of education they deserve. I commend the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for working to provide electricity in all its schools and for making major strides in providing missing facilities.”
Speaking at the event, the KP Education Minister Atif Khan said, “Education is one of the top priorities of the KP government and we’re committed to providing quality education in every single district of the province. Lack of facilities in schools directly affects children’s education and I’m grateful for DFID and the Saudi Fund for Development for investing in the children of KP.”
The grant will cover nearly 2000 government schools in seven districts of KP including Bannu, D.I. Khan, Karak, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Tank and Hangu. Out of these, more than 700 schools are girls’ schools with more than 81,000 girls already enrolled.
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Ahmad Al-Maliki, SFD Director General (Operations) Fawzi Al-Saud, DFID Head Joanna Reid, UNOPS Regional Director Sanjay Mathur and KP Education Minister Atif Khan attended the signing ceremony amongst other participants from the international community and various government departments.
