BUILDING SOUND FOUNDATIONS FOR EARLY LEARNING IN PAKISTAN

The Aga Khan Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan and Sindh and the support from USAID started an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programme in the year 2002 in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh. The programme entitled ‘Releasing Confidence & Creativity (RCC): Building Sound Foundations for Early Learning in Pakistan’, has been implemented in 155 government schools in Balochistan and Sindh. The programme aspires to benefit all children going to these schools especially those enrolled in katchi classes. Other important beneficiaries of this program include teachers, head teachers, parents, community members, Department of Education and even members of the local government. The RCC programme strives to work with target communities and parents in order to involve them in the early learning of their children. The RCC programme provides parents and School Management Committees (SMCs) tools and knowledge that encourage them to be active in their children’s education, in order to increase awareness about the importance of ECD. 155 SMCs/PTSMCs will be strengthened during the course of the program period. The RCC programme also encourages community empowerment by devolving funds to make necessary improvements to school learning environments that are prioritized by communities.

Teachers and school officials are perhaps the most visible engine for transformation of a school. The RCC programme has conducted trainings and follow-up workshops for government school teachers, community ECE teachers, ECD professionals and managers and community workers. New techniques will eventually allow the school children to explore their self-confidence and creativity in a safe environment, instigating a positive change in classroom environments and in student achievements and enrolments.

A notable accomplishment of the RCC programme has been with regard to its efforts to facilitate a community of learning around early childhood development. This has been created through a regularly updated mapping exercise of ECD activities in Pakistan, two leading ECD magazines - Nurture and Parwarish, a pioneering ECD website - www.ecdpak.com, roundtable discussions, a networking forum for organizations working on ECD issues, and a growing network of informal connections that are sharing lessons and helping to inform policymakers about realities on the ground.

The RCC programme also focuses on creating a model that can be adapted and replicated to improve ECD initiatives all over Pakistan, hence, research is being undertaken to inform decision-makers of important issues related to early learning.

By far, one of the most visible changes the RCC programme has brought to the classrooms is the vibrant energy and color. Classrooms have been revamped in such a way that they have become more energetic, creative and conducive to learning. In addition, the RCC programme through its support in developing schooling capacities in teachers, seeks to make great use of the creativity that can be employed while schooling children in their early years. This creativity has resulted in classrooms that are beautiful and welcoming to the child. Children are no longer forced to operate on strict schedules. With learning corners (goshas) in every classroom they choose their own activity. Such activities are also indicative of the transformations the program has brought to early learning. Children are found whole-heartedly singing in groups, using seeds and fruits to learn numbers, listening to stories narrated by their teachers, writing and drawing, threading beads and playing with other material. The RCC programme has demonstrated that it is possible to create nurturing and stimulating learning environment in a cost effective manner.

This activity based learning and child centered approach can be considered RCC’s greatest achievement because children thrive in an environment that is nurturing, intellectually stimulating, enjoyable and interesting. Not only does this make learning much faster and more fun but it also supports the child in her/his emotional and cognitive development.