The 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

As 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.

In order to make the program inclusive, training on Digital Literacy and Internet Safety are being conducted in Deaf Reach schools across Pakistan.

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.

CLF 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.

CLF 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.

PLP Lahore team also conducted a two-day Library Management workshop at GGES Madhu Lal Husain, Shalimar.

LSK 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.

On 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.

On 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’.

ITA 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.