Almotamar.net, News Yemen - The Yemeni government on Tuesday signed with the German Bank of Construction an executive agreement on supporting the Basic Education Development Project (BEDP).
For the Yemeni side the agreement was signed by deputy premier for economic affairs, the minister of planning and international cooperation Abdulkarim Ismael al-Arhabi and the minister of education Dr Abdulsallam al-Jawfi and for the German side by director of the German's Bank of Construction Office in Sana'a.

The German government has joined the ranks of development partners supporting Basic Education Development Project (BEDP) in Yemen through a multi-donor, program-based approach.

"With the formal signature of the BEDP-Agreement, Germany would add $24 million to the BEDP portfolio and its ongoing activities. With a total of some $150 million, BEDP will become the largest donor-supported education program ever implemented in Yemen", said the Germen embassy on Monday.

Germany is one of partners in BEDP program along with the World Bank, The Netherlands, British Dept. for Int. Development (DFID).

The BEDP finances activities contained in the Ministry of Education's Annual Work plans to which it is fully aligned, said the embassy's press release.

The German government has also allocated some $14 million to support a first multi-donor secondary education program.

"Bilateral investment projects have focused on school construction, extension and rehabilitation in the governorates of Ibb, Abyan, Hajja and Marib, providing for some 3,100 new and rehabilitated classrooms benefiting more than 140,000 pupils", the embassy said.

In August 2000, the Basic Education Development Program (BEDP) which was a follow-up and expansion of the Basic Education Expansion Program (BEEP) was approved by the World Bank. It has been implemented with the cooperation of DFID and the Netherlands since June 2004.

BEDP involves the construction and rehabilitation of schools (grades 1-9), including latrines, hygienic hand washing and drinking water facilities, boundary walls and laboratories, and the procurement of laboratory equipment (including chemical materials) for grades 1-9.

BEDP aims at implementing the plans in all governorates while the operation of BEDS (Basic Education Development Strategy) has been concentrated in four particular governorates. The size of this joint project (BEDP) is US$120 million and core of the BEDS.

In November 2006, EKN and DFID signed a Technical Assistance Trust Fund. This Fund has been disbursed to support BEDP operations such as preparation projects for girls’ secondary education and the preparation of vocational training project II initiated by the World Bank.