ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Matsuda Kuninori on Wednesday inaugurated the project for re-expansion of Primary School in Village Raziq Kalay being managed by Learning Awareness and Motivation Programme (LAMP), a non-governmental organisation, in Khyber tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The government of Japan, under its Grant Assistance, had provided financial assistance of USD 73,514 (equivalent to around PKR 11.4 million) for this project. The NGO, community representatives and school students attended the inauguration ceremony.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Government of Japan had extended financial assistance to LAMP in fiscal years 2011 and 2015, for the establishment and subsequent expansion of classrooms in this school to provide safe and comfortable learning environment.
The grant provided to LAMP has been utilized to overcome the problem of overcrowded classrooms as over 300 students sat outside their classrooms in an open space because of the limited seating capacity in the school.
Kuninori, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony, congratulated the community members and the representatives of the NGO for the successful completion of this important project.
He said that provision of basic education to children is one of the top priorities in Japan’s assistance policy towards Pakistan.
“There is a need for easy access to and availability of quality education to marginalized communities as a way of improving socio-economic well-being.”
The envoy said he was hopeful that the project would give children a chance to carve out their better future, and in addition, it would certainly strengthen the existing friendly relations between the people of Japan and Pakistan.