ECW strengthening education in emergencies

Islamabad:Federal Secretary for Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani emphasised the crucial role of donor organisations in guiding and facilitating education efforts in areas where the state lacks capacity.

He underscored the need to enhance infrastructure quality to minimise damage from natural disasters and highlighted that the second phase of the Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) will significantly advance Pakistan’s education sector. He expressed his views during keynote address at Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Creating Impact Together: Mobilising Resources for Inclusive Education Conference, organised by MYRP consortium partners, including RSPN, Unicef and VSO, in Islamabad.

Robert Edward Dutton, Emergency Manager at ECW Geneva, acknowledged the collaboration with Pakistan and donors, stressing the need for new partnerships and sustainable funding. He praised Pakistan’s anticipatory flood response as a global model and called for a holistic approach to education. He informed that ECW will support second phase of MYRP next year, while adopting best practices and lessons learnt during phase-1.

Secretary Education KP, Masood Ahmad, expressed gratitude to ECW, RSPN, Unicef, and VSO for their support, benefiting 170,000 children in KP. He noted that while KP enrolled 1.3 million children in its recent campaign, ongoing challenges can be addressed through international collaboration.

Secretary Education Balochistan, Saleh Mohammad Nasar reaffirmed the government’s commitment to education by allocating a substantial budget and aligning programs with partner funding, emphasising the focus on out-of-school children and Afghan refugees.

CEO RSPN Shandana Khan introduced Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a global fund dedicated to providing quality education for children and youth in emergencies and protracted crises. She highlighted that ECW is funding the Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) in 12 vulnerable and underserved districts of Balochistan and KP, which are frequently impacted by natural disasters, conflict, and displacement, severely disrupting the education of thousands of children.

CEO RSPN emphasised the necessity of a collective response to address the ongoing education emergency in Pakistan, underscoring the vital role of communities in promoting education. She detailed key community-based activities within the programme, such as catch-up and accelerated learning, transportation and cash support for education, vocational training, health screenings, and the provision of assistive devices. Additionally, she highlighted efforts in school rehabilitation, WASH facilities, menstrual hygiene management, comprehensive teacher training, psychosocial support, and support for children with learning difficulties. The MYRP, implemented by RSPN, Unicef, and VSO, in coordination with and through support of federal education ministry and provincial education departments of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa currently provides access to education for 269,558 children, including refugees and those with disabilities. With total resources needed at $60 million, ECW already allocating $13.2 million, leaving a shortfall of $46.8 million to be raised for the programmes’ successful implementation in Pakistan.