OREANDA-NEWS. On March 1, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed grant agreements (G/A) with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to provide grant assistance of up to a total of 1,967 million yen for assistance for two projects.

The aim of the assistance is to improve the quantity and the quality of the educational infrastructure for better access to lower secondary, specifically to girl’s education, and to reduce power transmission losses, thereby supporting Pakistan’s efforts to expand girls’ educational opportunities and reform the power sector.

The projects under these grant agreements are described below.

(1) Project for Upgrading Primary Girls Schools into Elementary Schools in Northern Rural Sindh (total amount of aid: 973 million yen)
Background and Necessity
The education index for Pakistan is among the worst in South Asia. The net enrollment ratio (2013/2014) was a mere 57 percent for primary education (grades one to five) and 21 percent for lower secondary education (grades six to eight, middle level). Although the net enrollment ratio for lower secondary education is 34 percent in Sindh Province, a higher percentage than the national average, the net enrollment rate for girls was merely 17 percent (2013/2014). There is also a large disparity between urban and rural regions in Sindh Province, with the net enrollment rate of lower secondary education for rural girls dropping to the extremely low rate of six percent.
In Pakistan, separate schools are provided for girls and boys. More schools are needed for girls than boys as local customs make it difficult for girls to commute long distances to school, but many rural areas lack lower secondary schools located within an acceptable commuting distance for girls, hindering their education beyond primary school. In addition, some primary schools in Sindh Province have deteriorated, making them unsafe, so improving facilities in these schools is an urgent issue.

Objective and Summary
With an educational policy focus on improved access for girls to lower secondary education in rural areas, the government of Sindh Province plans to construct 20,455 classrooms in elementary schools with the goal of a net enrollment ratio of 50 percent for both boys and girls by 2018.
This project plans to expand and rebuild educational facilities for girls between the ages of ten and twelve on the premises of existing primary girls schools in northern rural Sindh Province, providing easier access to lower secondary education and improving the educational environment for girls, thereby contributing to an improvement in the enrollment rate of girls.
JICA has already implemented a similar project, titled the Project for Upgrading Primary Girls Schools into Elementary Schools in Southern Rural Sindh, to expand educational opportunities for girls at the lower secondary level, and JICA will provide assistance to improve the lower secondary level in rural areas throughout Sindh Province with this new project.

Executing Agency
Education and Literacy Department, Sindh Province

Planned Implementation Schedule
Construction: 30 months, including detailed design work and the bidding period

Target Region, Facilities
Six districts in northern part of Sindh Province: Dadu, Ghotki, Khairpur, Larkana, Shikarpur, and Sukkur

Project Scope: expansion of about 25 existing primary girls schools, including the reconstruction of about six schools; approximately 7,000 square meters in total in general classrooms, multipurpose rooms, a principal’s office, student and faculty restroom buildings, perimeter walls, and provision of educational furniture, such as chairs, desks and cabinets.

(2) Project for Strengthening Training Center on Grid System Operations and Maintenance (total amount of aid: 994 million yen)

Background and Necessity
The instability of the power supply due to inadequate power has become a serious issue in Pakistan. The gap between the demand and supply has, in recent years, reached a particularly high level, between 4,500 and 5,500 megawatts for the country overall, resulting in scheduled power outages lasting 12 to 16 hours each day.
Due to inefficient operation and maintenance of the power transmission and distribution systems resulting from equipment deterioration and insufficient engineer capacity, problems have arisen such as frequent breakdowns in the power transmission and distribution systems and a high power transmission and distribution loss (approximately 25 percent). This chronic power shortage has long hindered industrial development by the domestic private sector, and the economic loss due to power outages and inefficient power transmission and distribution system operations is a major barrier to economic activities. Given these circumstances, the Government of Pakistan established the National Power Policy in 2013 with the objectives of eliminating the supply-demand gap for power by 2017 and reducing the power transmission and distribution loss to 16 percent. To stabilize the power supply, the Government of Pakistan is also working to strengthen the grid system and boost the capacity of grid system engineers who work on operation and maintenance.

Objective and Summary
This project will provide a training simulator and other training equipment designed for grid system operation drills and breakdown training at the training division of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). This project will thereby improve the training functions at the NTDC for appropriate operation of the grid system with the objective of improving the stability of the power supply through improved grid maintenance.