The United States Agency for International Development is distributing 23,800 computer tablets through its Pakistan Reading Project to public school teachers of grades 1 and 2 to support teacher training and improved reading instruction in classrooms across Pakistan.

“Today’s distribution of computer tablets is an investment in and appreciation of the teaching force that prepares the future of Pakistan,” USAID Mission Director John Groarke said.  “We see information and communications technology as a vital resource in the effort to extend educational access and improve the quality of instruction across economic, cultural, geographic, and other barriers.”

Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division, and other officials and educators joined Mr. Groarke at a tablet distribution ceremony in Islamabad.  Each computer tablet is configured with applications and tools such as teacher training modules, daily lesson plans, virtual mentoring videos, and audio lessons to help teachers improve their instruction and the literacy levels of children in their classrooms.

The USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project is a $165 million project designed to support provincial and regional departments of education to improve the reading skills of primary school children across the country. This program is designed to utilize three interrelated components to affect the quality of education in early primary grades: an improved classroom learning environment for reading, improved policies and systems for reading, and community-based support for reading in Pakistan.