National Education Foundation, Ministry of Education Government of Pakistan, being committed to World Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals, has launched “Enhancing Participation in Education through Innovative Scheme for the Excluded and Vulnerable” funded by Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) through the World Bank. The project is the lynching pin in struggle for universal primary education and retaining of drop out ratio from schools through direct financial assistance to the poor households. NEF has been executing this pilot project for the period August 2003 to June 2007 at the total cost of 39.988 million.

Components

The National Education Foundation (NEF) in collaboration with the World Bank is implementing this pilot project. This project consists of the following two components:

• Development of a communication strategy for education and piloting education awareness campaign
• Planning, implementation and monitoring of Innovative incentive scheme.

Objectives

1. To promote greater access to basic educational opportunities particularly for the excluded and disadvantaged groups (effecting about 6330 students) through an effective “Educational Incentive Scheme;
   
2. To create educational awareness in the targeted areas by implementing mass communication campaign;
   
3. Enhancing quality of education by encouraging competition between the Public, Private and Community Schools ;
   
4. To Improve equity and parental choice by providing need-based incentives to the poorest household
   
5. Reduce the child labour in targeted areas

National Education Foundation is executing the project in two union councils (Tarlai and Chirah) of ICT; two Tehsils (Lakari and Prang Ghar) of M. Agency; two union councils (Bijar and Jabbi) of Khushab and two union council (Ahmad Mohana and Sharif Chajra)of Muzaffargarh through its partner NGOs- Colombia Associate, SHER, WSO and IRSP respectively. These NGOs were selected as per the laid down policy and procedures of the World Bank. In addition to these NGOs, Interflow Communication firm has been hired for advocacy campaign as a major component of the project.

Under the incentive scheme Rs. 600/ is paid to each beneficiary on quarterly basis. If there is more than one beneficiary in a household all the succeeding beneficiaries are awarded Rs200 per quarter.