“A B C D E F G…” From a cold, open-air classroom where temperatures are below 40oF (4oC), passersby’s can hear enthusiastic pre-primary schoolchildren practicing the English alphabet. These are sounds from one of BRAC’s pre-primary schools in the town of Haripur in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The children are both ethnic Pathan and Hazara groups, the predominant ethnicities of the province.
When starting out one year ago, BRAC conducted door-to-door field surveys and held a number of town hall meetings with communities to understand their needs. “No one did community meetings like this. Not even the government. Only BRAC did”, says Shahzia Younis, one of the program officers. This was a confidence building exercise – BRAC heard from the parents first-hand of how lacking schools were in their locality, and they learned about the successes of BRAC schools in neighboring Afghanistan. This paved the way for BRAC to find spaces to rent for schools, recruit and train local staff (all of whom are women), and persuade parents from marginalized families to send their children to school.
“Why are you taking inn so many girls?” Mr. Gaffar, the BRAC area manager, recalls being asked this question by someone in the community. His reply was simple: “Islam teaches girls to be better Muslims via education. But schools are not accessible to girls. Girls live too far away from schools.”
Iqra is one of the girls who attends a BRAC school. Her parents pleaded with Mr. Gaffar to take her in. “Iqra suffered from a debilitating fear of speaking to anyone, including her own family. This fear was brought on by her learning disability, and resulted in her being expelled from other schools. Her parents asked me if BRAC could work with her, so we took her in. Now Iqra is a motivated student. Every BRAC pre-primary school in Haripur has at least one child with a learning disability.” When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Iqra says “Doctor”, in no uncertain terms.
Government officials are surprised at successful cases like Iqra’s. “What kind of magic did you cast on these children?” a visiting local official asked one of the BRAC teachers. The trick is to “Treat kids well, make learning fun, and keep kids busy with the curriculum and extra-curricular activities”, says Mr. Gaffar. This is the formula taken from BRAC Bangladesh’s education programs.
Sumbal, one of the program officers in Haripur says: “Because of the kids who attend BRAC pre-primary schools, their mothers have become more disciplined. Before, students could not get to school on time in the morning. Now, parents send the kids to school on time, maintain regular bath and sleep schedules, and ensure that children ‘salaam’ and greet people properly. Every child’s family has learned the importance of a regularized routine.”
“By 9 o’clock we are in the field, visiting the schools” explains Shahzia. “We make sure that all the schools are on track with their lesson plans, and we take note of which kids are absent. In the afternoons, we visit the homes of absent children, and speak to the mothers to understand why their children did not attend school. If a child misses school because of sickness, we tell the mothers to take special care or call a doctor to ensure the child is better and can resume school soon.
“Often, mothers discourage children from attending school because they fear that English is too difficult a subject to learn. We as program officers convince mothers to allow their children to return to school. We tell them not to interrupt their child’s education, and that BRAC teaches kids of all learning levels. We also stress these values when we hold special monthly meetings with children’s mothers (and fathers, if available).” Such close engagement by the staff ensures the retention of children in schools and minimizes drop-out cases.
Speaking to the children allows one to see their motivation and enthusiasm for coming to school daily. Sofia, one of the girls in the pre-primary program, says “Today my mother is sick. She told me to skip school and stay home to watch my little brother. But I didn’t want to miss school. So I brought my little brother to school so I can study and watch him at the same time.”
In NWFP, one of the riskiest places for NGOs to operate in Pakistan, and even in the middle of winter as cold winds blow in to the classrooms, learning is alive and well at the BRAC pre-primary schools. When the program first started, many children could not do art work beyond drawing straight lines on paper. Now they draw flowers, write ABCs, and make miniature ‘Tandoori’ ovens with clay. They even make their own pencil holders from used plastic beverage containers.
On his way home, Ahsad Naz sings in English, “Apple, Apple, Red Apple. Apple, Apple, Eat Apple. Ball, Ball, Big Ball, Ball Ball, Play Ball….” That day his mother probably needed a helping hand in caring for Ahsad’s ailing father, but she sent him to school anyway because he does not want to miss a single day. .
“Mothers say they want schools for their kids near their homes, especially for daughters. The short distance is important so the girls can walk to school easily. Schools are too far away, too few, and private schools are too expensive.” – Gaffar, BRAC Manager, Education, in Haripur, North West Frontier Province.
When starting out one year ago, BRAC conducted door-to-door field surveys and held a number of town hall meetings with communities to understand their needs. “No one did community meetings like this. Not even the government. Only BRAC did”, says Shahzia Younis, one of the program officers. This was a confidence building exercise – BRAC heard from the parents first-hand of how lacking schools were in their locality, and they learned about the successes of BRAC schools in neighboring Afghanistan. This paved the way for BRAC to find spaces to rent for schools, recruit and train local staff (all of whom are women), and persuade parents from marginalized families to send their children to school.
“Why are you taking inn so many girls?” Mr. Gaffar, the BRAC area manager, recalls being asked this question by someone in the community. His reply was simple: “Islam teaches girls to be better Muslims via education. But schools are not accessible to girls. Girls live too far away from schools.”
Iqra is one of the girls who attends a BRAC school. Her parents pleaded with Mr. Gaffar to take her in. “Iqra suffered from a debilitating fear of speaking to anyone, including her own family. This fear was brought on by her learning disability, and resulted in her being expelled from other schools. Her parents asked me if BRAC could work with her, so we took her in. Now Iqra is a motivated student. Every BRAC pre-primary school in Haripur has at least one child with a learning disability.” When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Iqra says “Doctor”, in no uncertain terms.
Government officials are surprised at successful cases like Iqra’s. “What kind of magic did you cast on these children?” a visiting local official asked one of the BRAC teachers. The trick is to “Treat kids well, make learning fun, and keep kids busy with the curriculum and extra-curricular activities”, says Mr. Gaffar. This is the formula taken from BRAC Bangladesh’s education programs.
Sumbal, one of the program officers in Haripur says: “Because of the kids who attend BRAC pre-primary schools, their mothers have become more disciplined. Before, students could not get to school on time in the morning. Now, parents send the kids to school on time, maintain regular bath and sleep schedules, and ensure that children ‘salaam’ and greet people properly. Every child’s family has learned the importance of a regularized routine.”
“By 9 o’clock we are in the field, visiting the schools” explains Shahzia. “We make sure that all the schools are on track with their lesson plans, and we take note of which kids are absent. In the afternoons, we visit the homes of absent children, and speak to the mothers to understand why their children did not attend school. If a child misses school because of sickness, we tell the mothers to take special care or call a doctor to ensure the child is better and can resume school soon.
“Often, mothers discourage children from attending school because they fear that English is too difficult a subject to learn. We as program officers convince mothers to allow their children to return to school. We tell them not to interrupt their child’s education, and that BRAC teaches kids of all learning levels. We also stress these values when we hold special monthly meetings with children’s mothers (and fathers, if available).” Such close engagement by the staff ensures the retention of children in schools and minimizes drop-out cases.
Speaking to the children allows one to see their motivation and enthusiasm for coming to school daily. Sofia, one of the girls in the pre-primary program, says “Today my mother is sick. She told me to skip school and stay home to watch my little brother. But I didn’t want to miss school. So I brought my little brother to school so I can study and watch him at the same time.”
In NWFP, one of the riskiest places for NGOs to operate in Pakistan, and even in the middle of winter as cold winds blow in to the classrooms, learning is alive and well at the BRAC pre-primary schools. When the program first started, many children could not do art work beyond drawing straight lines on paper. Now they draw flowers, write ABCs, and make miniature ‘Tandoori’ ovens with clay. They even make their own pencil holders from used plastic beverage containers.
On his way home, Ahsad Naz sings in English, “Apple, Apple, Red Apple. Apple, Apple, Eat Apple. Ball, Ball, Big Ball, Ball Ball, Play Ball….” That day his mother probably needed a helping hand in caring for Ahsad’s ailing father, but she sent him to school anyway because he does not want to miss a single day. .
“Mothers say they want schools for their kids near their homes, especially for daughters. The short distance is important so the girls can walk to school easily. Schools are too far away, too few, and private schools are too expensive.” – Gaffar, BRAC Manager, Education, in Haripur, North West Frontier Province.
- Malik Rashid
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