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Bangalore: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed an agreement with the Azim Premji Foundation to jointly support universal primary education programmes in the country, here on Friday.

Azim Premji, Chairman of the foundation, and Maria Calivis, Country Representative-India, UNICEF, signed the letter of collaboration. The duration of the collaboration would be from March 1, 2002 to February 28, 2004.

The foundation and UNICEF will launch a joint programme in Karnataka, and have identified areas in the State such as Yadgir, Shahpur, Jewargi, Gulbarga rural, Aland taluk in Gulbarga District, Devdurga taluk in Raichur District, and Maddur taluk in Mandya District.

Ms. Calivis told presspersons that the partnership would support the Government's "Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan" programme and promote universalisation of elementary education. The organisations would focus on improving the quality of learning in schools, and the school environment, including sanitation, developing models of community processes that support community groups, and utilisation of technology in elementary education.

Around 20,000 students would be benefited in the first phase of the programme, which would be replicated to reach a larger group, she added.

Mr. Premji said the collaboration would help the foundation support elementary education in the country as UNICEF brought with it global experience and its initiatives in India in this field. The foundation could also benefit from the documentation done by UNICEF, he said.

In Karnataka, UNICEF has been involved in supporting the State Government with the "Jana Shala" programme to promote quality education. The programme has been taken up in six districts. Other than that, the organisation is also involved in school sanitation programmes.

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