e-Newsletter, November 2020

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.

Siyani Sahelian

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) UK in Pakistan Development Director Annabel Gerry; British Council Area Director for Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan Michael Houlgate; and FCDO Pakistan Provincial Representative and Social Development Adviser Amna Khan visited Siyani Sahelian hub in Bahawalpur. They witnessed the entire programme interventions with holistic inter-sectoral approach and innovative partnerships, and interacted with the beneficiaries. The Siyani Sahelian programme aims to tackle gender inequality for disadvantaged out of school adolescent girls (aged 9-19) in three districts of South Punjab – Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan.

Generation Equality can only begin with Girls’ Education and with ALL girls getting equal opportunities. Siyani Sahelian observing 16 Days of Activism against #GenderBasedViolence.

Creating Spaces

ITA’s Creating Spaces project aims to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Child, Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM) by actively engaging and supporting community actors to promote positive gender norms and by supporting women and girls who have experienced violence.

Under the Creating Spaces programme, ITA, in collaboration with Oxfam in Pakistan, held awareness sessions with boys and men on Positive Norm Modelling and on legal frameworks related to women and children with duty bearers from Social Welfare Department, Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Parliamentarians, civil society organizations and Creating Spaces women leaders in Rawalpindi and Shaheed Benazirabad.

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ITA, in collaboration with Oxfam in Pakistan, conducted a consultative meeting with parliamentarians, government departments, representatives from National Commission on the Status of Women, lawyers and CSO’s to kick off the 16 Days of Activism and to strengthen the legal frameworks and ensure its implementation.

Safe School Reopening Pilot (SRP)

ITA, in collaboration with JICA Pakistan, is undertaking the Safe School Reopening Pilot (SRP) in Islamabad. The SRP project’s goal is to create a fully-costed scalable pilot for safe and healthy school reopening aligned to the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training priorities, community engagement and evidence based best practice. For creating an empirically informed strategy, a baseline survey was conducted in pre-selected 38 FDE schools. Using the baseline analytics, the project is now entering the midline phase where interventions along five thematic areas – Covid-19 SOPs, Hygiene practices, Health services, Vigilance committees and Technological readiness – and will be introduced in 19 schools with a vision to incorporate health, hygiene, and immunity boosting knowledge in daily routines at schools and in homes. At a later stage, the project will evaluate the impact of the interventions in making schools safer and healthier for the students and teachers.

Facebook - We Think Digital

Introducing ITA's new initiative with Facebook - "We Think Digital: Digital Literacy and Digital Safety Program" aimed at promoting Digital Literacy and developing Online Safety Resources/Tools to create a safe and efficient Digital Learning Environment for middle and high school students. An inception workshop on the project was conducted by ITA team. The project has been launched in 6 districts of Punjab and 20 schools of Lahore.

Children's Literature Festival


Digi Kutub Khanay		Young Author Award 2020-21

ITA and CLF has launched tech libraries in trunks 'Digi Kutub Khanay' across Pakistan. The DigiKutubKhanay have 80 Books with Dictionaries, Tablet, Maps, Board Games, Art and Craft stationery. These Learning Living Libraries traveled to Mubarak Village by the Arabian Sea where Children, Youth and Camels were all excited to read, learn and laugh!		CLF has extended the deadline for Young Author Award 2020-21 till December 15, 2020. The award serves as a platform for young writers in Pakistan to showcase their creativity and critical thinking. Children aged 10-18 years can participate in the second round of CLF Young Author Award and can get a chance to win cash prizes and a 3-month mentorship with renowned authors. The award is being extended for submissions in Urdu and English for two age categories: 10-13 and 14-18 years. Stories can be submitted via email or by post. Email: yaa@itacec.org, Postal Address: ITA, 1A Canal Park, Gulberg II, Lahore.


CLF Publications		The Shared Bookshelf

Get your hands on ABC's of Pakistan, a joint publication of Children’s Literature Festival and WHY Books, and take a glimpse into Pakistani culture in no way before. Order from CLF store now		We are here again with more books to read and share. Announcing "The Shared Bookshelf" by Children's Literature Festival and Children Library Complex, Lahore. Register by filling out this simple form

CLF celebrates World Children's Day
CLF celebrated #WorldChildrensDay at Children Library Complex filling the air with festivity & happiness! The inclusive celebration included reading, storytelling, singing and awareness about Child Rights.

Pakistan Literacy Project (PLP)

ITA is working to establish 20 "Modern School Libraries" in Lahore and Bahawalpur districts under the Pakistan Literacy Project in partnership with Room to Read and in collaboration with School Education Department, Punjab. The goal of the project is to promote and develop book reading habits among primary level students.

Pakistan Literacy Project team celebrated World Children’s Day at Govt. Girls Elementary School Christian Colony, Yazman in Bahawalpur and at Govt. Girls Elementary School Chung Kurd, Madhu Lal Hussain in Lahore.

Life Skills for Kids (LSK)

LSK is an initiative of ITA, Stora Enso and Bulleh Shah Packaging to provide life skill based education to the children aged 5-15 who are intensely involved in rag picking. These children went from trash picking to getting education and vocational skills with the help of ITA.

Tree Plantation at PEIMA/PEF Schools

ITA is working in collaboration with PEIMA/PEF to implement Public School Support Program (PSSP) and New School Program (NSP). ITA has responded to Pakistan’s largest tree plantation drive launched by the Prime Minister Imran Khan recently. Students and teachers with the support of community activists planted many trees inside and ouside public schools being managed by ITA in different districts of Punjab, including Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Chiniot, Lahore and Kasur. Teachers also urged the parents and students to participate in the nationwide plantation drive and encouraged them to plant at least one tree in their homes or working places with due care.

International Day for Tolerance

Education is the best way to foster mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. On November 16, 2020, ITA celebrated #InternationalDayforTolerance with the pledge to embrace diversity, promote inclusion and producing a more tolerant society.

World Children's Day

ITA celebrated World Children’s Day on November 20, 2020. Reimagining a better and safer world for our children through education.