e-Newsletter, February 2021

Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) or the “Centre of Education and Consciousness” Public Trust, established in 2000, is a civil society organization focused on addressing the profound education crisis of Pakistan through action and policy research, service-delivery and advocacy. ITA has been a strong education champion across Pakistan with field programs covering complex aspects of: Access, Learning, Quality, Evaluating Low Cost Private Schools, Inclusion, Child Protection, Gender Justice and Education, Tolerance, Citizenship, Health and Hygiene Interventions, and Technical and Vocational Training Programs with government, communities and public and private school systems.

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)

ASER 2021 - Measuring Learning Losses due to Covid-19

ASER 2021 aims to measure the learning losses due to Covid-19 and schools shut down in 2020. A household level survey is planned to be conducted in 16 rural districts of Pakistan, targeting a sample of 9600 households. For this purpose, during February, the ASER team has revised and finalized the assessment tools. EOIs have been received and partners have also shortlisted as well. The survey will be conducted in March, 2021.


ASER team holding meetings to get partner organizations on board

ASER 2021 - Measuring Learning Quality in Katchi Abadis

ASER team has been conducting preliminary field work for a pilot study in the Katchi Abadis of Lahore and Karachi. Data from government sources has been collected, while meetings have been held in Lahore Development Authority and DG Katchi Abadi, Punjab and Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority. The team is also interacting with Urban planning experts in the Karachi Urban Lab to understand the geographical dynamics of Katchi Abadis. In February, over 300 Katchi Abadis were mapped in the two districts. Several qualitative case studies have also been collected which offer deeper insights into the lives of Katchi Abadi residents.

Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2021-22

The ASER Pakistan Team is working on the GEM Report 2021-22 titled "Non-State Actors in Education". The report will explore in detail the emergence and prevalence of non-state actors in the provision, regulation, financing and management at different levels of education: primary and secondary, higher education, special education, early childhood education and technical and vocational training. The team will review data, evidence and policy documents while employing a mixed methods approach to map out the scale and scope of these actors and delve deeper into the mechanisms through which non-state actors are effectively dominating the education landscape.

Children’s Literature Festival (CLF)

Pakistan Learning Festival (PLF) 2021

To promote learning during the pandemic, CLF held the first hybrid Pakistan Learning Festival (PLF), combining both digital and in-person sessions from February 8-10, 2021, to create a unique learning experience for everyone as a multi-site, multilingual and multicultural festival. The PLF was held with the collaboration of British Council Pakistan, Children Library Complex, Oxford University Press Pakistan, Room to Read and National History Museum, and phenomenal support from 25 partner organizations and over a 100 Resource Personnel. The PLF was a huge success, receiving over 90K views online via Zoom and Facebook live and also garnering a footfall of 2000 teachers and students.

Young Author Award 2020-21

The jury decision of CLF Young Author Award 2020-21 will be announced on 15 March, 2021. Keep following for more updates.

Siyani Sahelian

Siyani Sahelian Marketplace Roadshow was held in Rahim Yar Khan on the February 25, 2021. The event was an exposition of the products and services produced by the TVET beneficiaries of the program, after receiving a three-month skill development training. The marketplace event was attended by a diverse group of stakeholders from the TVET space of Rahim Yar Khan, including industry, education space, representatives from the government and other vocational training centers. The event had activated stalls set up with different themes such as Beautician, Handicrafts, Croatia, Gota Kinari, Ralli Work, Applique Work, Machine and Hand Embroidery, Kitchen Gardening and Domestic Tailoring. The stalls showcased the significant art forms that have been prevalent in South Punjab with both local and nation-wide market potential.

Aasman Se Baten

ITA under its Girls’ Education Program "Aasman Se Baten" organized a consultative session on “Girls Education #LeaveNoGirlBehind” on February 9, 2021. The virtual session included key players in the EdPolicy space to discuss the growing need and focus on girl’s education. The high-profile panel included Women's Voices for Change Founder Shad Begum, Human Rights Activist Samar Minallah Khan, PAGE Executive Director Fajer Rabia Pasha, FCDO Senior Education Advisor Saima Anwer, Pakistan Youth Change Advocates Executive Director Areebah Shahid, ITA Senior Program Manager Saba Saeed and Science Fuse Founder Lalah Rukh. The session was moderated by SOC Animator Maham Ali and led to an engaging talk with messages and recommendations from the panelists.

Creating Spaces

Under Creating Spaces project, ITA in collaboration with Oxfam in Pakistan conducted different sessions with women, girls, men, youth and influencers around Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) and Child, Early & Forced Marriage (CEFM), Women leadership, Advocacy and support system with Women Groups in Lahore, Kasur, Jehlum, Rawalpindi, Shaheed Benazirabad and Umer Kot.

Meanwhile, State Bank of Pakistan also conducted training sessions under their National Financial Literacy Program to spread awareness on financial literacy and Government's programs on strengthening women's economic skills and capacity.

Pakistan Literacy Project (PLP)

With the reduction in Covid-19 cases, the PLP team achieved various targets. The repair and maintenance work of library rooms was completed at all 20 schools in Lahore and Bahawalpur along with monitoring visits at both the districts. At least 28 International titles were displayed with book launches at PLF. A five-day Training of Trainers on habits of reading, responsibilities of stakeholders, furniture arrangements, book leveling and how to create a child friendly library was held on February 15-20, 2021. 62% books were received from different publishers and stored at warehouse aligned in bundles ready to be disseminated to each school.

Safe Internet and School Outreach Program (SIOSP)

Safer Internet Day

ITA celebrated the Safer Internet Day under Telenor SIOSP in order to promote a safer and better internet, where everyone feels able to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.

As a part of #SaferInternetDay campaign, a painting competition was held to raise awareness on safe internet usage. Students wrote heartfelt letters to the Prime Minister and Policymakers emphasizing on inclusion of digital safety and netiquettes in the curriculum as schools are on their way to digitalization. During the campaign, we also addressed the digital gap that exists between students and teachers/parents. Students were trained on how to cope with issues that occur in the digital world and on how they can help someone who’s going through it.

Life Skills for Kids (LSK)

LSK students participated in PLF with great excitement and attended many learning sessions. They got certificates of participation on their performances and talents.

LSK teachers are indulged in 8-week Science Fuse course. Under this course, weekly assignments are given to teachers on scientists’ life stories and other science topics which they have to upload after completion. Meanwhile, weeklong sessions on Digital Literacy & Safety were conducted with senior students of LSK. Another part of “Psychological First Aid '' training, was organized by PAHCHAAN organization with LSK staff, students and community members on stress management and relaxation techniques. In LSK vocational center, customized facemasks are getting famous as they are receiving orders from different schools.

International Mother Language Day 2021

LSK celebrated the New Year 2021 in campuses where students presented greeting cards to their teachers and fellow students.