Story of Arooba Abbas

Assalam-O-Alaikum, My name is Arooba Abbas Leghari, I’m a student of class VIII. I am studying in Government Girls Higher Secondary School. I’m also one of them who received girls’ stipend from the government.I have bought a new uniform after collection of stipend. This stipend has helped my parents reduce financial burdens regarding pursuance of my study. I would like to say to the government that please continue this initiative as this can help me continue my education.

Muhammad Bilal Ehsan —Myth Buster

Hafiz Muhammad Bilal Ehsan, a student of grad IX at the Government Boys Secondary School, Younasabad; has made his school proud by winning a Karachi wide quiz competition —‘Challenge to Everyone’ — organized by ‘Helping Hand Trust’.

“We were informed in the school about the competition. Some students were selected for trials. When the in-school trials took place, three out of six students were selected to represent the school; I was selected to represent the school for the quiz competition.” shared Bilal. From district South (Karachi), 14 schools participated and Bilal stood first in the district. He was awarded the ‘district winning belt’ and qualified for the next round of the competition.

For the Karachi crown, there were participants from all the six districts. Bilal was the only participant from a government school, while all other participants were from the private schools. “We were given three themes by the organizers — ‘The creation of Pakistan’, ‘The evolution in the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ and ‘Pakistan’s resources’. The competition got withdrawal amongst the three finalists. And we were [then] asked the out-of-theme questions” said Bilal. “I was under the impression that the participants from the private schools would out-class me in the final round but it turned out a good fight.” He added.

Bilal was declared the ‘Karachi Winner’ of the competition, restoring the faith in resilience and hard work of the government school students.

Church Mission School

Pride of Sindh

We are pleased to celebrate the phenomenal success of our two students from District Thatta who have redefined public education for all. Darakhshan Jokhio from Government Girls High School Ward No.1, Thatta and Sana Iqbal from Government Girls High School Mir Pur Sakro went to the United States of America to address the United Nations General Assembly as elected members of Students’ “Representative Council” to represent the girls of Pakistan in New York on 25th September 2015. They along with other girls from across the world coupled with Malala Yousufzai, the noble laureate, prepared a charter of Action to address issues of Female Education and their rights and security. Their success shows that difficult conditions cannot deter students determined to work hard and prosper. Darakhshan and Sana, both are extremely grateful to their teachers and parents. Their support encouraged them, motivated them and inspired them to believe in their potential and confidence.

Early Childhood Care and Education in Shaheed Benazirabad

It is almost nightmarish for parents to start sending their kids to school due to the feeling of parting with their children, no matter what age they may be, and at times is much scarier to have this happen at a very early age. However, when given the surety that the institute they have chosen for their child’s extremely necessary early education is up to the mark- imparting knowledge through a well-designed curriculum, hand in hand with staff trained solely for the purpose of making it a comfortable environment for toddlers; there comes a sense of security and willingness to let go of a very young child for a couple of hours each day.

One such early childhood development center has found its way into the premises of Willis School, the pre partition public school for boys in Shaheed Benazirabad. The foundations of this Early Childhood Education and Development Center were laid by Dr. Azra Pechuo and have begun its classes early September this year. The Government acknowledges the efforts made by Lubna Khalid, Director for SZABIST Schools and Colleges, who made the establishment of the center possible within less than a month, training excellent staff and creating a curriculum that is hoped to set a precedent for future ECEs.

This Early Childhood Education system designed has been designed to focus on the learning needs of children in order to cater to factors affecting their growth and development. The Early Childhood Workforce Initiatives include a range of programs and incentives to support, train and retain an experienced and qualified child care and early learning staff. It builds "Good Practice" resources which help early childhood educators transform children's every day activities into opportunities for teaching literacy and numeracy concepts. An early childhood learning framework has been developed which outlines a pedagogical approach to early education with specific emphasis on play-based learning, the important role of adults in supporting children's early learning, a holistic approach to children's development, and inclusion of children with exceptionalities

The center was established to provide top notch public education for toddlers. For registration, which began a month before the school year started, preference was given to middle and low income families over families that could afford sending their child to a private ECD. At this point the ECEDC has an enrollment of 80 students ranging from two and a half years to four years of age, with instructor to child ratio of 1:13. Study materials, uniforms, lunch among other things are all provided free of cost to the students. The center has two classrooms and the children are divided into four sections, color coordinated using names of birds such as Scarlet, Canary, Parrot and Bluebird.

Each classroom accommodates forty students and three teachers. There is also a library, lunch room, staff room and waiting area from where the children are picked up at the end of the morning. The language that these teachers (or “aunties” to the kids) communicate in is the one the child is most comfortable in, and then from there take on the responsibility of teaching them English. Classes have been divided into four areas of learning; Mathematics, Sensorial, (3), (4). The curriculum is entirely activity based, since practical learning proves very effective for this age group. There are bicycles to keep the kids busy and entertained in the event that he or she may get upset about being away from parents. The ECEDC is overall a safe and healthy environment for kids to grow and learn in, thanks to the excellent faculty running the system.

Their staff of six was selected from a pool of 80 very competent public school teachers, who were invited to interview and chosen on merit based upon their qualifications and experience. They were then given accelerated training on early childhood education and effective communication with toddlers for a week. These six women work hand in hand to ensure that things run smoothly at the center, coordinate everything among each other including taking leaves and absences in a way that would not disrupt the curriculum. The teachers find it a pleasure to work in a healthy environment along with the flexibility of shorter work hours as compared to other levels of schooling. Parents of the students seem to be very satisfied in only these few days, and the ECEDC hopes to keep fostering these feelings among students, parents, teachers and the society in the future as well.