USAID OFFICIAL VISITS ACEH TEACHERS' TRAINING COLLEGE PROJECT SITE

Banda Aceh, Feb. 8 (ANTARA) - United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) Mission Director Walter North recently toured the site of a new $10-million state-of-the-arts teachers' training facility being set up at the University of Syiah Kuala (Unsyiah).

"USAID is providing support to build and furnish the new facility," a press statement issued by the US embassy in Jakarta said.

The effort is part of the US government's Education and Tsunami Grant Assistance Program for Aceh Province.

The Unsyiah teachers' training center is one of the last of the various Aceh relief and recovery efforts undertaken since the catastrophe. More than 100 teachers and 1,200 students perished in the December 2004 tsunami and the university suffered extensive damage.

Unsyiah is the region's premier pre-service teachers training facility. It is focused on overcoming a shortfall of qualified teachers in Aceh.

The new Teachers' Training Facility will allow for a 25 percent increase (318 teachers) in qualified FKIP teaching staff.
FKIP Unsyiah also expects the number of yearly graduates to increase from 493 to approximately 800 students once the building is completed by June 2010.

When completed, the building will have 9,600 square meters of floor space for a library, auditorium, laboratories, and more than 20 classrooms.

The building is being constructed to earthquake and fire resistance standards with significant attention to energy efficiency and durability, and accessibility for the physically challenged.