The U.S. State Department has allocated $500,000 to teachers who provide English-language instruction to transgender students in Pakistan.
The funds were allocated through the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan’s Regional English Language Office and will be awarded following a competition in which organizations can submit proposals that address the grant’s three components.
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The notice of funding on the federal government’s grant website indicates all grant proposals must address “Professional Development for English Language Teachers from Non-Mainstream Institutions; (2) Professional Development for novice Pakistani English language teachers; and (3) Professional Development for Transgender Youth and for Afghan Teachers, Students, and Young Professionals Residing in Pakistan.”
The $500,000 will be divided among the three components. The transgender youth professional development program will receive at least $25,000 and a maximum of $75,000. The funding for the entire grant will last between 24 and 36 months.
“These program components will expand language learning opportunities for the Pakistani people, especially youth and marginalized populations,” the grant page reads. “The award seeks a U.S. or Pakistani partner to promote the development of English language skills, knowledge of current English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogies, and the leadership skills of select English language teachers, students, and young professionals, particularly from underserved, minority communities.”
Pakistan, a Muslim-majority nation, maintains strict laws prohibiting homosexual activity but has taken a far more permissive view toward transgender identity. In 2018, Pakistan’s Parliament passed legislation that granted people who identify as transgender the ability to change their gender on identifying documents such as passports and driver’s licenses.
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In a statement to the Washington Examiner, a State Department spokesperson said the agency “supports a wide range of strategic programs around the world that seek to advance the foreign policy priority of reducing discrimination and violence and promoting inclusion.”
“In this specific Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the Department will provide funding for English-language learning, an integral skill that helps unlock educational and employability opportunities, for marginalized communities,” the official said. “As outlined in the NOFO, of the $500k funds, $25-75k will support professional development for transgender youth and for Afghan teachers, students (including girls), and young professionals residing in Pakistan. These funds will only be used for this purpose.”
