The Ford Foundation Program in Pakistan

Abstract

At Independence, in 1947, Pakistan suffered not only a severe shortage of trained personnel needed for its de velopment but also a dearth of institutions for the training of personnel. The Ford Foundation has made grants since 1951 to help Pakistan establish and strengthen key institutions to produce competence. Grants are made for projects which are within the framework of Pakistan's Five Year Plan, the inter ests of the Foundation in key research and educational insti tutions, and the gaps in other foreign assistance programs. Foundation funds are made available for such assistance as training of institutional staff abroad, foreign advisers, and the dollars needed for the import of equipment and material. Pakistan pays the local currency expenditures for construction, equipment, and staff—the larger share—on the basis of devel opment "schemes" often prepared with the assistance of consultants financed by the Foundation. Foreign advisers, consultative and research services, and training facilities in cluded in a grant are provided by such universities as Harvard, Oklahoma State, Chicago, and Michigan State. The evolu tion of the Foundation's grant for Education Extension Centers is described for purposes of illustration. Since it takes a long time to develop a new institution, the Founda tion has elected to assist with only a few in order to permit the length and depth of aid which is required. New projects will be taken up as older ones mature. Future emphasis of the Foundation program, together with the co-operating American universities, will be to improve the methodology of technical co-operation and the implementation of grants.