The World Bank has approved an additional USD 25 million grant to improve equitable access to primary and secondary education, particularly for girls, in Afghanistan, the Bank said in a statement issued today, Thursday, April 01.
Through the EQRA project, the new grant will help build 100 schools to ease access to education for Afghan girls and promote community-based education, according to the World Bank.
The EQRA project is supported by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s fund for the poorest countries, the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), a multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to strengthen education systems in lower-income countries.
“Afghanistan has made much progress in improving education in the last two decades, but 3.5 million children remain out of school, and half of the country’s schools still have minimal infrastructure,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan. “This additional financing will help the Afghan government create a better learning environment and enroll more children in schools.”
“Girls’ education is one of the smartest investments a country can make: it boosts economic growth, curbs infant mortality and improves child nutrition,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of GPE. “GPE will continue to do its part so that millions of girls and boys, especially the most vulnerable, can go to school and learn.”
