Education

Education is the biggest right of a child amongst all its rights. Education is a way out of poverty, an investment which has the utmost role in the personality development. Friends Pakistan has always regarded education as one of its highest priorities when considering the long-term development of any community with the prime objective to raise the education level amongst the future generations as education is regarded as an important factor in the alleviation of poverty and deprivation.

Friends Welfare Association Pakistan is implementing a three year project, “Reconstruction of Schools in the Earthquake Affected areas of District Mansehra” with the support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan through Knk Japan. The educational institutions in District Mansehra had sustained severe damages in the Earthquake of October 8th, 2005. Unfornutanly, the educational system has not been rehabilitated fully in term of educational infrastructure in District Mansehra. Out of nineteen hundred and forty seven (1947) completely demolished schools, the strategy schools (1268) are to be reconstructed by the governmental institution ERRA. But there was no governmental strategy for the rebuilding of (679) remaining demolished schools which are not included in the strategy of ERRA in District Mansehra.

Under the scope of the current reconstruction project, the first greatest milestone that Friends Pakistan achieved was the framing of the strategy for these non strategy schools with the involvement of District Education Department Mansehra and provincial government of Khyberpakhtoon Khawa Province.

The activities included in the reconstruction project includes the Construction of thirty (30) schools (permanent structures) in compliance to Earthquake resistant approved ERRA designs through qualified construction firms with build back better approach, Capacity building of Teachers, PTC members & Student representative Councils, Provision of necessary supplies (Furniture, bags, supplies) at the target schools and the rehabilitation of the requisite physical facilities at the target schools.

This construction project is to be completed in six phases, five schools in each phase, during three years time frame. The first phase of this project was initiated on March 7th 2010. In the month of August, 2010, four schools will be completed and will be handed over to the Education Department in the record time period of five months.

• Improved and safe educational environment is ensured for five hundred and ninety three (593) children with the completion of construction of four target schools in the first phase of construction project.
• Increased capacities of teachers, PTC members and members of Students Representatives Councils of four target schools with the conduct of three (3) appropriate Training events in the first phase of construction project.

Friends Pakistan initiated an intervention of educational and Psycho social support for the children of vulnerable communities of three Union Councils Shinkiari, Balakot and Hilkot since the November 2005. The title of this project is “educational assistance for the youth affected by the earthquake in North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. The educational and psychosocial support for the children of the vulnerable communities of the said UC’s remained continued during the year of 2009.

The services of quality education have been complemented by the activities that encouraged personality development and spirit of philanthropy amongst the beneficiary’s children of the project. Along with this, the awareness of the general community and parents was also integrated in the scheme of activities of the project for ensuring a child protective mechanism at the local level as well as to aware the community about the importance of education and child’s rights.

• The services of quality education have been complemented by the activities that encouraged personality development and spirit of philanthropy amongst the beneficiary’s children of the project. Along with this, the awareness of the general community and parents was also integrated in the scheme of activities of the project for ensuring a child protective mechanism at the local level as well as to aware the community about the importance of education and child’s rights.

Friends Pakistan has been implementing the project of providing access to girl’s education in three villages through supporting the schools, Community Management Girls Middle School Jabargali (CMGMS), GGMS Mandagucha and Government Girls Middle School Kotri Sathangali (GGMS).

Jabar Gali, where the Community Management Girls Middle School (CMGMS) is located is a big village which lies in the Union Council of Jabar Devli of District Mansehra. The project of support of the CMGMS Jabar Gali started from July 1st, 2009. Girls of nearby villages of Jabargali also take benefit of this school as there is no other institution (government or private) for the education of girls in all that area. In this school, girls of the area have their education up to the middle level after passing their primary education.) The said school has the availability of the infrastructural structure in the form of four (4) shelters.

The Government Girls Middle School (GGMS) Kotri Sathanagali is being supported by Friends Pakistan since April, 2009. The Government of Pakistan constructed this school in the year of 2007 but due to some administrative issues, the hiring of staff could not be made as a result the regular classes could not be arranged at this school for the girls of the area. This is a middle school for girls for whom there is no availability of the middle school in all that area. The other nearest Girls Middle School is in the Town of Battal which is fifteen (15) kilometer away from the village of Sathangali. Friends Pakistan started the support of this school to facilitate girls to continue their studies beyond their primary education without any discontinuation. Friends Pakistan will continue to support the girls of the school in providing them access to education until the hiring of teachers is completed by the Education Department Mansehra.

Recently, Friends Pakistan has initiated an intervention of support of girls’ education at the secondary level at the village of Mandagucha, where no facility to girls education was available for the girls at the secondary level.

• One hundred and fifty (150) girls got benefited through secondary education in Government Middle Schools which are functionalized by Friends Pakistan in UC Jabbar Devli and Hilkot.

Friends Pakistan implemented a project “mainstreaming of PWDs in the society” in the Union Councils of Balakot and Garlat in District Mansehra. Inclusive education was an important component of the project for integrating the CWDs in the formal schools and defending their space in school. Six model schools at the targeted UCs mentioned above were established as inclusive model schools. These inclusive schools were established in the villages, where maximum numbers of CWDs were present in the surrounding communities to facilitate their enrollment in the model schools. In this project, One fifty six (156) CWDs were assessed for inclusive education through the conduct of a special assessment by a special team. Forty nine (49) CWD’s were enrolled in the six model schools. For ensuring the Inclusive Learning Friendly Environment (ILFE), two days training event was conducted for the teachers and PTC members. In this training event, the capacity of teachers and PTC members was developed on UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and understanding of Inclusive Education and Inclusive Learning Friendly Environment. The distribution of Schools’ kits was made among the CWDs in the schools of the two targeted UCs to encourage the enrollment of CWDs in the formal schools.

• Forty Nine (49) CWDs got benefit in term of enrollment and 1207 children through inclusive learning friendly environment at Six (6) model schools at UC Balakot and Garlat.

Friends Pakistan implemented a project” Support in the rehabilitation of the Girl’s Education in the war hit areas of District Swat” The educational sector and especially the girl’s education suffered the major losses during the military conflict between the Pakistan Army and Islamist Militants of the SWAT. The militants were against the girl’s education so they specifically blew off girl’s schools. Eighty four (84) government girl’s primary schools were blown off with explosives during the military conflict. Friends Pakistan implemented the intervention for the support in the rehabilitation of girl’s education in war affected areas of District Swat keeping in view the identified needs and data provided by the Education Department SWAT. Friends Pakistan is supporting (rental support, shifting of schools, educational material etc) twelve (12) Government Girls Primary Schools (GGPS) in Tehsil Swat, which were completely demolished and currently have no building facility.

• Seventeen hundred and sixty eight (1768) girls got benefit through rented support for twelve schools in District Swat.

Friends Pakistan supported the school outreach children both boys and girls of the Sireen Jagori, Union Council Battal in term of the construction and providing the operational support to the Community Management Primary School Sireen. In the village of Sireen Jagori, there was no availability of the primary school for the children of Sireen and the surrounding settlements. The nearest school was about two (2) kilometers away from Sireen. It was not possible for the young children of the Sireen to access that school by passing through the dangerous hilly areas. Friends Pakistan mobilized the local available resources of the community and constructed the school within three months to provide the safe learning space to the children of the community of Sireen.

• Eighty (80) children got benefit through construction of community based non formal school at village Sireen, UC Battal.  back