Moalims

The Naz Pilot Secondary School may be the future of education in Sindh. With its improved infrastructure and teaching methods the school is setting an example for the rest of the province.

SUKKUR: A school is a place that nurtures the leaders of tomorrow. The emphasis is on education and fostering a child’s mind to make them a productive member of society and to hone their skills to bring out their best abilities.

In Sindh, most institutions that go by the name of school hardly deserve the title. One that now stands out is Khairpur’s Naz Pilot Secondary School, which has seen a lot of improvement in terms of infrastructure, new programme of studies and teaching methodology. The reform process, initiated by The Book Group, is called the Sindh Education Reform Initiative (SERI). .

The school was taken up by the programme around eight months ago when work on improving its infrastructure started. The flooring and walls were given a complete makeover, while all the broken down doors and windows were replaced. The classrooms were furnished with new furniture, while a heavy-duty generator was installed to ensure the teachers and students wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of the long power outages in the sizzling heat and could focus on the studies instead.

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A fully equipped computer lab has been set up with 60 desktop computers, besides a library that boasts a wide variety of books. A day-care centre has been established for serving mothers while a full-time nurse and an on-call doctor are also available to cope with any medical emergency. The additions of an audio-visual hall and a conference room have added to the utility of the school.

During school time, the students are given computer training, while youth from the community are trained in the use of computers free-of-charge after school hours. A large parking area has been reserved for motorcycles and cycles and guards have been deployed at the main gate and other points across the school to give the students and their parents a secure and peaceful environment.

More than 60 colourfully-illustrated books for younger children have been printed. For the first time, under-privileged children in rural Sindh have been enjoying these books, which were supplied to them free of cost.

Besides academic activities, the students take a keen interest in extra-curricular activities such as rollerskating and Taekwondo. With the SERI managing to deliver a remarkable turn-around at the historic school, there is hope that things will only get better from here.

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The school’s headmaster, Prof Jameel Ahmed Bozdar, assured that he and his team were doing their best to deliver quality education. Earlier, many students used to leave the school during half-time. The improvement in infrastructure has even resulted in a remarkable shift in the students’ attitudes, who now arrive 10 minutes before school starts. For the professor, his first challenge will be to remove the menace of absenteeism among his teachers. And he is prepared to take on the challenge for the sake of his students, he claims.

A senior teacher, Sarai Sajjid Hussain, claimed that the school is a historic institution, which has produced thousands of brilliant students. Approving the positive change, he said that teachers always try their best to impart whatever knowledge they have to their students and now, in the new environment, students are taking much interest in their studies.

Another teacher, Hizbullah Ghumro, expressing satisfaction with the uplift of the school said that around 2,000 students study in 35 sections. “As a teacher I feel that if all the public schools were given attention like this one, the standard of education will automatically improve in the province,” he said.

Ali Mohammad Narejo, whose sons, Ghulam Mustafa and Ghulam Murtaza, study in class VIII, was very happy with the change. “Now, my sons are taking a lot more interest in their studies and never try to bunk school like they used to,” he smiled.

For his part, Sukkur Commissioner Abbas Baloch expressed sorrow over the wastage of precious years during which very little attention was paid to the education sector. “Despite spending billions of rupees on education, we could not achieve any tangible results in the province,” he lamented. “SERI is doing an amazing job and is ready to take over more schools after this project is completed.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2015