In a significant move to aid the recovery of flood-affected areas in Sindh, the Government of Japan has pledged new grant assistance valued at 794 million Japanese Yen, approximately equal to 5.3 million USD or around 1,530 million PKR, to reconstruct educational facilities.
The signing ceremony for this assistance took place at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Islamabad on Wednesday and was attended by several dignitaries, including Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, WADA Mitsuhiro, Mr. KINOSHITA Yasumitsu, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
In his remarks during the signing ceremony, Ambassador of Japan WADA Mitsuhiro expressed his hope that this project would contribute to creating an environment where children can continue to receive education even in the wake of future floods.
Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) KINOSHITA emphasized that the new grant aid project aimed not only to construct school buildings but also to build a brighter and more resilient future for the next generation of Pakistan.
This marks the fourth grant aid from Japan to improve educational facilities in the Sindh province. It has been noted that school buildings previously assisted by Japan’s projects suffered less damage and destruction during the 2022 rainfall and flooding, thanks to their design and construction based on the analysis of the 2010 floods. The new project will also incorporate the concept of “Build Back Better” to reduce the vulnerability of target schools to future disasters and enhance resilience in the communities where the schools are situated.
The project’s objective is to establish a secure and disaster-resilient learning environment through the reconstruction of elementary schools heavily impacted by the 2022 floods and heavy rains. This assistance contributes to enhancing the school enrollment rate and promoting gender equality in the targeted areas, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality education) and 5 (Gender equality).
Since June 2022, heavy monsoon rains intermittently triggered flooding that submerged one-third of the country, resulting in over 1,700 deaths and affecting 33 million people. Sindh province bore severe damage, accounting for 66% of the total education sector damage. Rapidly reconstructing the damaged educational facilities is crucial to ensuring that children have safe learning opportunities as part of medium- and long-term measures in response to these devastating natural disasters.
