PESHAWAR, Pakistan: United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) in collaboration with FATA Secretariat launched Governor’s Strategic Support Unit (GSSU) here Wednesday that would further developed the tribal areas especially in education and health sector.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Special Secretary to Governor Sikandar Qayyum and Head of DFID Pakistan Joanna Reid here at Governor’s House. Governor KPK Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan was present on the occasion.
The project worth 10.25 million pounds is meant to improve governance of recovery process in the militancy hit tribal areas, provide direct support to returning families to rebuild basic services and livelihoods and to plan for long term reforms.
Speaking on the occasion, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan welcomed the initiative saying that development work done in the past in FATA were irrational and lacked sustainability that resulted in waste of resources and has no particular impact in terms of improved socio-economic indicators in FATA.
He said that ever since he joined his office, he did an extensive survey on socio-economic need based in FATA that would provide a base for all the new development projects to be launched in the tribal areas.
Sardar Mehtab said that as FATA people return to their homes, we are presented with an unprecedented opportunity to plan and implement reforms which will strengthen confidence between communities and governance structures.
“I am proud to launch today the GSSU that would allow me to monitor the progress of service delivery across FATA, to identify hurdles and propose corrective measures to ensure that all the children of FATA have access to quality education, basic health services and equal opportunities of development for FATA people”, the governor told.
UNDP Deputy Country Director for Pakistan Tracy Vienings said that after years of fighting and displacement communities in FATA need all the help we can offer to rebuild. She said that with the support of FATA secretariat and United Kingdom, UNDP is proud to help the tribal people lay the foundations for the prosperous and peaceful future for FATA.
Joanna Reid, head of DFID Pakistan said that the setting of the GSSU is an important step that would provide technical assistance to help implement government led reforms in priority areas and to ensure quick service delivery to the people of FATA.
It is relevant to mention here that the GSSU would help the FATA Secretariat and its line departments in the delivery of major reforms in at least four key sectors of government including education, health, economic development and FATA reforms though additional solving and analytical capacity.
Besides providing financial support, UNDP would also provide technical assistance to FATA Secretariat to develop concrete roadmaps for reforms in one of the most complex area in terms of law and order with specific focus on reforms in the local governance, law enforcement, municipal services, judicial services and land settlements.
Additional Chief Secretary FATA Secretariat Aslam Kamboh in his presentation on Strategic Support Unit said that there are 6050 educational institutes and 980 health facilities in FATA meaning thereby one health unit is 4600 tribal population whereas in KP this ratio is 1:17000.
The literacy rate is 33 percent in FATA of which boys literacy ratio stood at 56 percent and that of girls is 41 percent. In tribal areas, one doctor is available for 8000 population while this ration at national level was 1:1600. In FR Bannu only, there is one school for 68 students and in FR Lakki Marwat one school available for 93 students.
The total number of teachers in FATA is 20,000 while the strength of non teaching staff is 11000. He admitted there is acute shortage of English, Maths and Science teachers FATA schools. Half of schools in the tribal areas are without basic facilities.
Referring to Governor’s initiatives, the ACS said that Governor KP has imposed education emergency in the tribal region with main focus on ensuring 100 percent enrolment and retentions in the schools. Under the same we have plan and hired services of the Science, Maths and English teachers to over the shortages.
The ACS further informed that 15 Municipal Committee would be setup in the tribal areas to improve service delivery of municipal services whereas a total of 23 Municipal Committees would be setup in FATA.
Source: APP
