e-Newsletter, October 2021
 
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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)  
Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiITA, with the support of UNICEF, has launched a report on learning losses post COVID-19. Honorable Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Mr. Shafqat Mahmood was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The launch event was also attended by Ms. Ellen Van Kalmthout, Chief of Education at UNICEF Pakistan; Mr. M Ali Kemal, Economic Policy Advisor at the SDG Support Unit, Ministry of Planning Development and Reform; Ms. Kim Bradford Smith, Education Team Leader at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); and Dr. Faisal Bari, Senior Research Fellow at IDEAS Pakistan and the Interim Dean of School of Education, LUMS.

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiThe study titled ‘Measuring Learning Losses due to Covid-19’ reports estimates from a survey conducted across 16 rural districts of Pakistan, four in each province, using the ASER Pakistan tools. The survey covers a total of 9,392 households, 25,448 children aged 3-16 and 21,589 children aged 5-16 (43% girls and 57% boys), 457 government schools and 198 private schools. According to the report, enrollment for age group 6-16 has dropped by 2% in 2021 compared to enrollment for the same age group in 2019. . You can access the complete report here.

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Moreover, district training for the regular ASER Survey has been completed for Punjab and Sindh.

 
ITA launches Girls Education and Enterprise Alliance (GEEA)  

ITA launched GEEA to empower girls and young women in Pakistan with the support of national and global champions of Girls’ Education. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation; Dr. Christian Turner, British High Commissioner to Pakistan; Aida Girma, Country Representative, UNICEF; Javed Ahmed Malik, Programme Director, Malala Fund; Mosharraf Zaidi, CEO, Tabadlab; Samar Minallah, Human Rights Activist; and Amna Khalid, FCDO; Alima Bibi, UNESCO; Akiko Hanaya and Nazia Sehar, JICA; Fahad Hussain, Dawn News; Waseem Ajmal, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training; Shabnam Sarfaraz, Ministry of Planning and Development; Ameena Saiyid, Lightstone Publishers; Syed Shahnawaz Ali, Country Director Oxfam; Munazza Gillani, Country Director Sightsavers Pakistan attended the launch event in Islamabad. Through GEEA, ITA seeks to extend strategic partnerships for advancing girls’ education and enterprise in Pakistan. GEEA’s twin pillars are education (as lifelong learning), and enterprise (skills for livelihoods) embedded firmly in life skills and agency to reach their full potential as empowered girls and young women.

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Creating Spaces  
 

ITA and Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) in collaboration with Oxfam in Pakistan organized a consultative meeting with stakeholders on Role of Youth and Implementation of Existing Laws to End Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) under the Creating Spaces project. ITA together with PWPA has appointed CS youth ambassadors from six districts of Punjab who will actively work on different interventions to this end. Muhammad Usman Dar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs; Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, Punjab Minister Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal; Syed Shahnawaz Ali, Country Director, Oxfam in Pakistan; Kaneez Fatima Chadhar, Chairperson PWPA; Uzma Kardar, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming; and Sania Kamran, Parliamentary Secretary, Women Development attended the event. A panel discussion on Role of Youth and Implementation of Existing Laws to end VAWG was also held.

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Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiMoreover, under Creating Spaces, ITA in collaboration with Oxfam in Pakistan conducted a consultative meeting with stakeholders on improving access to economic opportunities for women and girls who have experienced violence in Lahore. Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), E-Rozgaar Program, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), Akhuwat, NRSP Microfinance Bank Limited and MPAs Ayesha Iqbal, Shahida Ahmed joined us for this great cause.
 
Aawaz II  

Under Aawaz II, the Punjab Learning and Development Forum organized an event in Lahore to promote the objectives of the program where representatives from civil society, communities, minorities, PWDs, Transgender Persons and other walks of life participated. Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, Minister of Social Welfare, Punjab; and Ansar Majeed Niazi, Labour Minister, Punjab; and Irfan Gondal, Director PWD, represented Punjab government. The participants emphasized on quota of minorities, PWDs and transgender persons in all educational institutions, interfaith harmony and collective efforts to control GBV and all types of discrimination.

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Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiAs an Implementing Partner of British Council’s Aawaz II program in District Rahim Yar Khan, ITA shared experiences, lessons learned and best practices in addressing GBV and discrimination against PWDs and Transgender Persons and promoting interfaith harmony through community mobilization.

 
We Think Digital  
The We Think Digital by Facebook ended three phases of the project in which 60,000+ students, 2000+ teachers and 700+ schools were reached. The planning for the fourth phase was initiated and the project has been extended to 16 districts in remote districts i.e., Gwadar, Awaran, Kech, Gilgit, Ghizer, Buner, Malakand, Shangla, Dera Ismail Khan, Bahawalpur, Kasur, Rahim yar Khan, Shikarpur, Tharparkar, Malir and Muzaffarabad.

The project organized its first Round Table Conference named Digital Citizenship: an urgent need for students and teachers in Lahore with Dr Murad Raas, Minister for School Education Punjab, as Chair. Other esteemed panellists included Dr. Mariam Chughtai, Director NCC; Dr. Amir Riaz, Director Curriculum, PCTB; Dr. Waqar Naeem Qureshi, Director General IT Solutions, PITB; Muhammad Ali Tariq, Director General QAED; Shahid Rehman, Project Director, PMIU; and Usama Khilji, Founder Bolo Bhi.
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Safe Internet and School Outreach program (SISOP)  
 
Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiTelenor SISOP has entered the phase of incorporating safe internet content in the single national curriculum, its provincial variation and further implementation through textbooks. Under this phase, policy dialogues are undergoing with the educational leadership and boards across provinces in Pakistan. Safe Internet team has successfully imitated the inclusion of Digital safety aspects in the life skills-based education in Sindh Education policy after meeting with SELD, Karachi. The chapter would be circulated around schools in Sindh.

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiIn order to make the program inclusive, training on Digital Literacy and Internet Safety are being conducted in Deaf Reach schools across Pakistan.

 
Safe Schools Reopening Pilot (SRP)  
 

SRP in collaboration with SISOP and We Think Digital project, reached seven intervention schools to aware 311 students on digital safety. Eleven intervention schools were followed up to monitor the COVID-19 SOPs being practiced in schools, and SMAP review meetings (School Mitigation Action Plan) to track progress and re-priorities the safety measures for schools. A total of 1,329 students, teachers, parents and committee members were contacted through regular monthly interactions to strengthen good hygiene practices and encourage them to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

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Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiGlobal Hand Washing Day was observed on 15 Oct, in intervention schools. The project team organized hand washing demonstrations to showcase proper handwashing steps and hygiene practices.
 
Children\'s Literature Festival (CLF)  
Kitab Gari

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiCLF Kitab Gari aims to promote reading habits for imagination and pleasure, increase the accessibility of books for our young generation, teachers and communities. This mobile rickshaw library is stocked with 500+ books, both fiction and non-fiction for children up to 16 years and for teachers.

Kitab Gari visited the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau with the LUMS practicum team.

Storytelling Sessions with Noon Academy
Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiCLF in collaboration with Noon academy conducted regional language storytelling sessions this month. Please follow our social media pages for more updates.
FunMela & Digi Kutub Khanay

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiCLF partnered with FunMela organized by Social Welfare department in collaboration with Children Library Complex for special kids. Mr. Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, Minister of Social Welfare Department Punjab honored the ceremony with his presence and spent productive time on our stall of Digi Kutub Khana (DKK) which was the center of attraction for kids. With our astonishing art, games and storytelling sessions, kids embarked on a fun-filled learning journey with us.

 
Pakistan Literacy Project (PLP)  
Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiA three-day district workshop on Library Period was held in Lahore under PLP, being implemented in partnership with Room to Read and in collaboration with School Education Department, Government of the Punjab. Principals and Teachers from 10 schools participated besides AEOs from DEA LHR who acted as facilitators and co facilitators.

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiPLP Lahore team also conducted a two-day Library Management workshop at GGES Madhu Lal Husain, Shalimar.

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiRead aloud and independent reading activity of Room to Read adapted PLP books was held at different schools.
 
Life Skills for Kids (LSK)  

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiLSK students celebrated World Teacher’s Day by acknowledging the contribution of their teachers in improving the life of rag picker children. They gave handmade cards and gifts, and dedicated poems to their teachers.

LSK teachers also participated in ITA’s campaign on collecting stories of teachers. Five of the LSK teachers were selected as winners for their stories. LSK also celebrated International Day of the Girl Child by preparing special stories of girl child, taking views of parents on girl education and collecting contribution of volunteers. LSK observed Global Hand Washing Day with an awareness and practice session.

 

 
Worlds Teachers’ Day  

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiOn October 5, 2021, ITA celebrated World Teachers Day by acknowledging teachers for being at the heart of education recovery during COVID-19.

Teachers were invited to share their stories of Innovations in learning and teaching during COVID-19. The best winning stories and unique innovations by 30 teachers was awarded with shield and certificates.

 

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International Day of the Girl Child  

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiOn October 11, 2021, ITA celebrated International Day of Girl Child by hear Voices of Empowerment from our super girls, teachers, parents, experts and partners who built realities out of dreams.

A day-long FB live session was held on the theme ‘Voices of Empowerment - from Dreams to Reality’.

 

 
Ananke Girl Summit  

Idara-e-Taleem-o-AagahiITA CEO Baela Raza Jamil joined the Ananke Girl Summit held on October 30, 2021. She participatedin the panel discussion titled “Realizing Education for All in the Digital Age” along with Maria Umar, Faiza Yousuf, Radhika Maira Tabrez. The session was moderated by Fatima Baloch.

 

 
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