The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Punjab Provincial Director Jeffrey Bakken and Intel Pakistan Country Manager Naveed Siraj signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today on the use of technology to support education and women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan. Education programs outlined in the MOU include digital curriculum development, content management systems and solutions, and modeling of classroom information technology and computer usage models such as mobile computing and “computers on wheels.” Women’s economic empowerment activities will focus on supporting entrepreneurship, workforce skills development training, and computer literacy programs.

“It gives me great pleasure to embark on a partnership with Intel, which will explore ways to accelerate development using cutting-edge technology,” said Bakken at the signing ceremony. Siraj expressed appreciation for the collective efforts of the two organizations. “Intel’s engagement with USAID will ensure broader digital inclusion of rural communities and greater economic opportunities for our youth who can utilize newly acquired information technology skills to transform their lives,” he said. The MOU with Intel Pakistan builds on eight years of successful worldwide collaboration between USAID and Intel International. The more than twenty partnerships resulting from this global alliance have trained teachers on how to effectively use technology in their classrooms, provided needed technology to schools, and improved connectivity and digital content for youth around the world. In signing this MOU, Pakistan joins this global community and demonstrates its strong commitment to the future prosperity of the nation’s women and youth.

The U.S. Government, through USAID, is partnering with Pakistan to help millions of children and young people gain education skills to help advance their success. The United States assists Pakistan in its efforts to enhance student enrolment in schools and early-grade reading. Together with teacher training, these efforts will empower 3.2 million Pakistani children with the ability to read at or above grade level by 2018. For more information about USAID’s contribution to the education sector in Pakistan, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/pakistan/education