WB's support to basic education in Yemen up to $ 65 mln

Minister of Education Abdul Razzaq al-Ashwal has described results of his talks with partners in the World Bank on supporting the education sectors in Yemen as fruitful and positive. Upon his return to Sana’a on Sunday ,al-Ashwal told Saba that an agreement was signed with the Bank to raise the grant allocations for basic education to $ 65 million, expecting to start the procedures of the implementation as of March ,2013. He pointed out that the Education Ministry had agreed with the German Bank for Reconstruction to add $ 17 million to the grant provided by the Bank to Yemen, in addition to the support to be provided by the Global Partnership for Education by about $ 82 million. This support will be allocated to improve the quality of education and reduce the gender gap and to provide education service for children out of schools as well as institutional capacity building of the Education Ministry ,the minister al-Ashwal explained. He added that it was agreed with the WB's Vice President for Human Development ,Tamara Manolan, on preparing a matrix includes a comprehensive plan for the implementation of the national strategy for early childhood, to be promoted by the Bank for obtaining financial support from donors. Moreover, the minister said that the talks with USAID focused on re-allocation of funds proposed in 2013 and increasing them to meet the needs of education in Yemen, noting that he discussed with Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for the Middle and Near East the educational situation in Yemen and the possibility of increasing the necessary support to contribute to the development of the education sector.