WB approves $100m to improve education in Punjab
Pakistan Times Foreign Desk Report

WASHINGTON (US): The World Bank approved on Wednesday a 100 million dollar credit for Punjab to improve quality of and access to education achieved under a similar credit last year.

"The credit contributes towards progress in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to poverty reduction and Education For All (EFA) in the country," a statement from the Washington-based bank said.

Credits to Support

It is the second in a series of three development policy credits to support the Punjab government’s medium-term education reform programme, the bank said.

Although Punjab has slightly better education indicators than other provinces, it still trails behind in comparison to low-income areas in the region, the bank said.

In terms of adult literacy rates, Punjab is also among the lowest in the region, with only 36 per cent of women and 57 per cent of men considered literate.●