UNESCO's four programme areas are:

• support to educational administrators at province and district level- strengthening the knowledge and capacity of officials charged with the planning and management of the education system
• teacher training-imparting elementary, secondary, tertiary and college teachers with skills in trauma counseling, disaster preparedness and response, seeking at the same time to enhance their pedagogical and classroom management skills
• support to secondary and tertiary education-ensuring that opportunities exist for continued education and that that the system plans for the generation of sufficient high-skilled labor to support the long-term quality improvement of the education system
• technical/vocational and non-formal education, including life skills, technical education, sports and play–acknowledging that the formal education system alone will not achieve Education for All (EFA). Also, that a variety of interventions are required to ensure access and inclusion of marginalized groups in the post-earthquake areas.

UNESCO ERP tailors interventions to local needs identified in consultation with affected communities and government counterparts. It seeks to maximise benefits for the entire education systems in NWFP and AJK, beyond the earthquake-affected areas. The goal is not simply to rebuild schools but to assist communities and the Government to build back a better education system. This system-wide approach ensures consistency with overarching national objectives of achieving EFA and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Strategy and achievements

UNESCO ERP's programme interventions are designed to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Educational planning and management systems are reactivated in earthquake-affected areas by the end of the project;

• The quality of teaching and learning processes in government schools increased as compared with before the earthquake;

• Secondary education system reactivated with improvement in quality and access;

• The range and quality of non-formal education opportunities enhanced by diversifying the contents and methods of education.
  
  
• To achieve the above outcomes, the Programme is being implemented and monitored within the framework of INEE 'Minimum Standards'. The Standards represent a universal tool to define a minimum level of education quality and help ensure the right to education for people affected by a conflict, crisis and natural disasters. The needs assessment and community participation activities carried out by UNESCO ERP are commensurate with INEE 'Minimum Standards' guidelines.