WASHINGTON: The Biden administration has announced a $500,000 grant to provide English language skills to Pakistani youth.
According to report by Fox News, the grant’s primary objective is to teach the English language to Pakistani youth so that they can “better participate in the global community and prepare them for success in the workplace.”
The report also highlighted that public venues in Pakistan were less likely to hold “transgender events” as compared to “religiously based anti-LGBTQI+ protests.” This grant is part of the United States’ continued efforts to support marginalized communities and promote equal rights for all individuals globally.
The grant has three components: professional development for English language teachers from non-mainstream institutions, professional development for novice Pakistani English language teachers, and professional development for transgender youth and for Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals residing in Pakistan.
The latter component includes proposals from applicants “for a minimum of $25,000 and a maximum of $75,000 to implement intensive professional development courses for Pakistani transgender youth from the ages of 13-25, and intensive professional development courses for Afghan teachers, students, and young professionals residing in Pakistan.”
A representative for the State Department, while talking to media, clarified that the education project focuses on transgender youth, just as it does with other “marginalized communities,” and the grant funds are not intended for gender transition purposes.
The State Department’s human rights report also commended Pakistan’s Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Act in 2018 but recommended that Pakistan’s police force should prioritize measures to prevent escalating violence against transgender individuals.
