The United States plans to spend a whopping $200 million this year to revamp Pakistan’s deteriorating public education system since it has become a major barrier to the Obama administration’s efforts to defeat militant groups thriving in the country.
The idea is to improve the capacity of Pakistan’s fledgling civilian-led administration, and to promote trust between the two nations, the Washington Post reported.
With a curriculum that glorifies violence in the name of Islam and ignores basic history, science and mathematics, Pakistan’s public education system has become a major barrier to U.S. efforts to defeat militant groups thriving in the country, it quoted American and Pakistani officials as saying.
The money comes from the Kerry-Lugar aid bill, which was passed in late 2009 and promises Pakistan $7.5 billion in civilian assistance over the next five years.
The funds are intended to signal a substantial shift from earlier years, when U.S. assistance to Pakistan was overwhelmingly focused on helping the military, which is battling the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the nation’s northwest.
