Punjab Education Foundation and Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority

IDARA-E-TALEEM-O-AAGAHI

Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), or the “Centre of Education and Consciousness” Public Trust, was established in 2000. With humble beginnings in Lahore, ITA has expanded programs (capacity building, services, research, advocacy and policy influence) across the country with 23 offices and 131 staff members. It is certified by the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) and has a tax-exempt status. It has also been accorded special consultative status by the UNECOSOC on April 27, 2017.

The mission of ITA is to advocate and demonstrate universal access to quality learning and standard setting in education as a comprehensive inclusive learning experience for human evolution. Since 2000, ITA has been engaged in the education sector through a rights-based partnership approach to improve quality and governance of education from school to state level, ensuring inclusive and gender mainstreaming approaches and evidence-based advocacy for policy influence (mainly within the public-sector space). It emerged both as a response to the deeply felt crises of learning and systems by its original sponsors, and also to the government’s demand to help improve failing public sector schools.

Formal Education – Supporting Public and Newly Opened Schools in Remote Areas

Foundation Assisted Schools- School Improvement program with Education Foundations of Punjab and Sindh (2014-ongoing)

ITA is managing more than 160 schools in Punjab and Sindh supported by the Education Foundations & Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority or PEIMA (all government Semi Autonomous organizations) through public private partnership procurements and mainly financed by the government. The objective is to provide access with quality in education to disadvantaged communities of rural areas particularly girls. The majority schools cater from ECE/Early Years to Grade 5 and some up to elementary or grade 8 level in 9 districts of Punjab and Sindh. The focus is on four dimensions concurrently-to claim education and learning with a purpose in Pakistan as a non-state actor:

The focus of the program is on four inter-linked and concurrent dimensions;

• Learning improvement through adequate, trained and supported teachers in safe stimulating learning environment,
• Leadership with a vision and capabilities for holistic learning with life skills
• Parental /community engagement and active participation and
• Children’s personal and social well being, participation and voice

The Schools through PPPs have the potential to evolve further as Learning Laboratories in Pakistan for:

• ECE and Foundational Learning
  
• Interactive pedagogies and EdTech solutions in times of crisis and beyond
  
• Life skills crossing over both academic and non-academic learning
• Addressing emergencies – Floods/climate change within schools and with local communities and parents
• Resource mobilization for sustainability