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    25 June 2012| last updated at 10:20AM

    UAE opens 40 schools in Pakistan



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    SWAT: Upon the directives of President of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the "UAE Project to Assist Pakistan" has accomplished 40 world-class schools and institutes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan.

    Nearly 21,000 boy and girls have already started classes after the schools and institutes were handed over to the local authorities, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

    A grand opening ceremony was held at one of the boys' school in the presence of Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of the Project, Major General Zahir Shah, Commander of the GOC 45th Engineers Division of the Pakistani Armed Forces, a group of Pakistani army commanders and senior government officials.

    Al Ghafli and the senior accompanying civilian and military attendants unveiled the memorial plaque declaring the official opening of the school and then paid tribute to President Khalifa for the grant which constitutes a necessary, qualitative addition for improving and upgrading the education sector infrastructure in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

    Al Ghafli also opened another school for girls and toured its various sections.

    The Project, which focuses on four major sectors: education, public health, roads and bridges, comes within the framework of the good efforts by the UAE to help Arab and Islamic countries as one of the leading donors in the field of humanitarian aid and international development around the world.

    During the ceremony school bags were distributed to the learners as part of the 30,000 bag programme launched by the Project to assist needy students across Pakistan.

    Al Ghafli told WAM that, "It's a great honour for us to implement directives and initiatives of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with a humanitarian and development touch in education for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The initiative underlines Sheikh Khalifa's determination to extend assistance to students so as to get learning facilities in an ideal environment."

    Al Ghafli indicated that the UAE President's directives had brought to life modern educational facilities worth US$27.6 million accommodating up to 28,000 students. The Project has built and rebuilt 35 schools and colleges, two model schools, 40 primary to secondary schools, 11 technical technological and vocational colleges and institutes.

    He announced that the Project has already started the construction of two model schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and South Waziristan, with each school costing US$500,000.  -- BERNAMA

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