The Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) Tuesday approved at a plenary session a pound 40 million financing agreement by Tunisia and the european Investment Bank (EIB) which covers contribution to the financing of the "School Modernisation Programme 2". The agreement was passed by 128 votes to 1 with seven abstentions. This programme will help build 80 new primary schools, rehabilitate priority primary schools and purchase IT equipment and school buses There is financial accommodation in this agreement concluded on July 10, 2023, with payment over 24 years and a grace period of seven years, the education minister said. The loan will help ensure a modern educational infrastructure for all Tunisian pupils in various regions by offering a motivating and attractive environment in primary schools, he added. The loan is an extension of the pound 70 million School Modernisation Programme 1 financed in 2014. The ministry's strategy is based on fairness by means of setting objective criteria to help the p rogramme target inland regions. The overall cost of the School Modernisation Programme 2 is estimated at around pound 80 million, of which pound 40 million will be funded under the EIB loan, pound 25 million as a grant from the European Union and pound 15 million financed by the Tunisian government. The School Modernisation Programme 1 helped build 59 educational establishments divided into 25 completed projects and 33 projects in progress and 388 development and maintenance projects. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse