USAID and Sindh Government Commemorate Community Engagement for Education Reforms

Karachi: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) participated in a ceremony to showcase the achievements of USAID’s Sindh Community Mobilization Program (SCMP), which is ending after nine years.

Andrew Rebold, USAID Director for Sindh and Balochistan, and Ghulam Akbar Laghari, Sindh Secretary of Education, attended the event.

“USAID is proud of our partnership with the Sindh Government that resulted in more children having access to education throughout Sindh,” Andrew Rebold said. “Engaging directly with parents and communities was critical in increasing annual school enrollments—especially for girls. Approximately 20,000 girls enrolled in schools across the province, while more than 13,000 young girls who had previously dropped out re-enrolled. The positive effect of the Sindh Community Mobilization Program will be felt for years to come.”

SCMP was a key component of the still-ongoing, USAID-funded Sindh Basic Education Program, which set out to build 106 state-of-the-art schools and improve student enrollments. SCMP worked with communities to improve dialogue with Sindh’s public-school staff, thereby building stronger confidence in the system.

This engagement led to the marked increase of first-time school enrollments and improved student retention rates across the province. SCMP also worked hand-in-hand with the SELD to successfully roll out a public-private partnership approach to improving public school operations, which has led to better educational outcomes.

Sindh Education Secretary Laghari expressed his appreciation for USAID’s assistance and the U.S. Government’s long-standing support to the education sector.

Other participants included representatives from donor agencies and senior government officials from target districts. They, and parents, teachers, and community members shared testimonials.