Visit of Education Minister to Washington DC

The Federal Minister for Education, Mrs. Zubaida Jalal Khan paid a visit to Washington from 5-6 November 2003. She was received by top administration officials namely National Security advisor Condoleeza Rice, Secretary Education Rod Paige and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. The meeting with Mr. Wolfowitz was preceded by a guard of hounour. In the State Department, she met with the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Patricia Herrington, who is also Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy. On the Capitol Hill, the Minister met with two prominent Members of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Sub Committee: Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, Ohio); and Nita Lowey (Democrat, New York).

The Minister also met with Andrew Natsios, Administrator USAID, and representatives of three NGOs, active in the education sector in Pakistan namely Research Triangle Institute (RTI), Academy for Educational Development (AED) and World Book Inc. Before leaving for New York Thursday evening, the Minister addressed a press conference in the Embassy, attended by Pakistani media-men. She also gave interviews to the correspondents of UPI, 'USA Today', 'Washington Times' and 'Baltimore Sun'.

The meetings with Dr. Rice and Mr. Wolfowitz focused on cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the improvement of the standard and quality of education in Pakistan. Mrs. Zubaid Jalal briefed her interlocutors on the process of educational reforms in the country which is in progress for the last two years and a half. She explained that the reform process covered all kinds of educational institutions including the government and private schools as well as the community schools and the Madrassas. The main purpose of the reforms was to ensure quality education, with stress on compatibility with the market demand and opportunities of gainful employment and jobs. The Minister dispelled the notion that the Madrassas were breeding grounds of extremism. The Minister also explained that only a few Madrassas were getting assistance from abroad which had now been stopped.

The Minster had a detailed exchange of views with Congresswomen Marcy Kaptur and Nita Lowey. She briefed them on the process of educational reforms in Pakistan.

The meetings with Secretary Education Rod Paige, the first between any Pakistani Minister for Education and a US Secretary Education, focused on cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the field of education. The Minister and the US Secretary of Education exchanged views on the educational systems existing in the two countries and the problems faced by the two sides. The Minister stressed the need for greater exchanges between the two countries in the field of education. In this context, she specifically mentioned the need for revival of the US graduate and undergraduate level scholarships for Pakistan. It was agreed that the two sides would continue consultations on cooperation in the education sector.

The same subjects came under discussion during the meeting in the State Department with Ms. Patricia Herrington, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Ms. Herrington assured the Minister of the US support to Pakistan in the educational field, including US scholarships for Pakistani students in different areas. Earlier, Mrs. Zubaida Jalal held met with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Ms. Christina Rocca, for an exchange of views on issues of mutual interest.

The focus during the meeting with Administrator USAID and the three NGOs, namely Research Triangle International, the Academy for Education Development and World Book Inc. was on the activities of the three NGOs in different areas of education in Pakistan.

Washington, DC
November 12, 2003