Cross-cultural interaction to promote Pak-US ties: Ambassador Masood Khan

WASHINGTON: Cross-cultural learning through a people-centric approach can prove helpful in promoting bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States, Ambassador to the US Masood Khan said.

In a meeting with a 25-member group of Grade 5 students from Janney Elementary School in Washington, the envoy desired to explore possibilities of having exchanges with counterpart schools in Pakistan, the official news agency reported.

The students met the ambassador at the Pakistan embassy under the Embassy Adoption Programme (EAP), a joint collaboration between DC Public Schools and Washington Performing Arts. The visit was aimed at imparting skills to students necessary to succeed in an increasingly interconnected and culturally diverse world.

Masood Khan said the Embassy Adoption Programme was an excellent initiative to promote multicultural relations that could have a far-reaching impact.

He appreciated the students for their heart-warming presentation on Pakistan covering areas of art, geography, and sports. Some students opted to learn Urdu, while others concentrated on Pakistani arts and culture, presenting an incredible range of talent.

They developed a ‘Jeopardy game’ series on Pakistan where quiz questions were based on Pakistani arts, national flowers, animals, and landscapes which was followed by a flawless Pakistani anthem performance that enthralled the audience. The chorus was led by Grade 5 student Margaret Melia.

As part of their capstone project, students prepared a collective artwork depicting Pakistan’s diverse landscape, a football with students’ names on it as well as a truck art miniature and presented them to the ambassador.

Masood Khan appreciated Ms Sarah Buscher, Programme Coordinator from Janney Elementary School, for her efforts in preparing the students so well.

He also thanked Ms Penelope Musto, Director of Education Partnerships Washington Performing Arts, and Ms Atara Muhammad, in charge of Global Education DC Public Schools, for providing the valuable opportunity for a very successful cross-cultural exchange.

The programme allows fifth and sixth graders to learn about the language, culture, history geography, arts and culture of their partner country. Teachers host their diplomat partners for classroom visits during the course of a school year.