U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled plans to nearly triple British aid for Pakistan’s education sector even as he himself conceded that the Islamic nation’s weak government could hamper efficient use of aid.
In a visit to Islamabad April 5, Cameron said U.K. assistance for Pakistani schools could reach 650 million pounds ($1 billion) in the next four years, up from 250 million pounds for the period 2009-2013, The Telegraph reports. The increased British aid will help put 4 million Pakistani children to school, according to officials.
“The British people want to know every penny we do spend is going to the right places,” Cameron said in a speech at a university in Islamabad.
“I need to convince them that it is. But my job is made more difficult when people in Britain look at Pakistan, a country that receives millions of pounds of our aid money, and see weakness in terms of government capacity and waste,” he added.
The plan to hike U.K. aid to Pakistani education sector was met by criticism that the Islamic nation plans to spend billions of pounds for military equipment. Pakistan reportedly plans to buy six submarines worth more than 1 billion pounds from China, and spend another 1 billion pounds on Chinese fighter aircraft.
Cameron’s announcement comes after the U.S. Agency for International Development reportedly deferred funding for a $250 million project with Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission due to concerns over the transfer of the commission’s key functions to different federal and provincial institutions.The World Bank has also allegedly threatened to scrap a three-year, $300 million loan to the commission following the transfer of functions.
>> USAID Freezes Funding for Pakistani Education Scheme, World Bank Threatens to Follow Suit
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