ABU DHABI // The foundation stone was laid yesterday for a school the UAE is establishing in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province as part of efforts to help rebuild the nation following the disastrous floods last year.
Ali Saif Sultan al Awani, the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, laid the first stone for a primary and secondary school under the directives of Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, the official WAM news agency reported.
Video: Pakistan floods 2010
Taimur Khan, reporting from Pakistan's worst flood affected regions in 2010, speaks to Claudia Charlton about the progress in delivering aid and the plight of stranded villagers and refugees.
[ Watch this video in full screen here ]
The school has two floors with 22 classrooms, three laboratories, a clinic and a cafeteria that can accommodate 1,000 pupils.
The laying of the stone marked the implementation phase in the fulfilment of education projects being funded and supervised by the federal Government, which allocated $26 million (Dh95.4m) as part of its Help Pakistan project, WAM said.
The construction, maintenance and reconstruction of the projects will be carried out in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, South Waziristan and Bajaur Agency.
The projects are divided into 44 primary education projects and 11 secondary and higher education projects, which are due to be completed within 18 months.
Last December, Mr al Awani laid the first stone for a bridge the UAE was rebuilding over the Swat River, an area severely affected by flooding last August.
The project replaced the original 40-year-old bridge, and the new one is to be named after Sheikh Khalifa.
At the end of August last year, the UAE raised Dh72 million for the Pakistan relief effort in a three-day national campaign organised by the Red Crescent Authority.
The UAE's help in rebuilding the bridge and the schools is part of ongoing humanitarian efforts to help Arab and Islamic countries.
