Students in AIR’s Pakistan – U.S. Student Exchange Program Meet with Congresswoman Nita Lowey
Washington, D.C. – As part of the ED-LINKS Pakistan – U.S. Student Exchange Program, run by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), 26 Pakistani middle-school girls between the ages of 13 and 16 met with Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
The students toured the Capitol Visitor Center before meeting with Congresswoman Lowey on the steps of the U. S. House of Representatives. She encouraged them to work hard and get the best possible education they could, noting that she “believes strongly that educated women can change Pakistan and the world.”
As part of the ED-LINKS Pakistan – U.S. Student Exchange Program, run by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), 26 Pakistani middle-school girls between the ages of 13 and 16 met with Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Lowey is a member of the House Appropriations Committee; the chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee; and a senior member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, the Homeland Security Subcommittee, and the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.
She has led efforts to increase the U.S. investment in international basic education and to work with foreign governments to encourage investments in high-quality public education and to give children the tools they need to contribute to peaceful and democratic societies. She authored the Education for All Act, the first comprehensive legislative plan to achieve universal, free basic education for all children by 2015.
AIR’s Pakistan – US Student Exchange Program is part of the USAID-funded “Links to Learning: Education Support to Pakistan” (ED-LINKS), which seeks to improve teacher education and professional development, student learning and the learning environment, and the governance of the education system. The project has a particular focus on middle and lower secondary schools in the areas of math, science, computer skills, and English language. The students arrived in Washington, D.C., on October 3, 2009 for a two-week visit. A group of male students from Pakistan will make a similar trip to Washington, D.C., later in October.
This particular exchange program focuses on fostering student achievement in math, science, and computer science through the interactive multimedia activities and trainings planned for the students over the two weeks they are in the United States. The exchange is structured to build student skills in math and computer science, and also develop teamwork, leadership skills, and cross-cultural understanding. The students will create websites and videos to document their experiences and demonstrate their new skills, which will serve as learning resources for the 26 exchange students as well as their school, families and peers back in Pakistan.
About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.