2)
Before adoption, SMB had 9 “resident”
dogs who roamed unchecked inside the school buildings.
The situation was so appalling that a decaying
dog body was found inside the kindergarten classroom,
when Zindagi Trust went for its initial inspection.
Classrooms were dirty and had blackboards that
were just too small to chalk out the day’s
lesson.
3) The corridors were dark and
dirty- a truly depressing environment for young
children. In addition there were grills everywhere
that gave the impression of a juvenile prison!
4) Hygiene levels were shocking
with no clean drinking water and a “hole-in-the-ground”
for a toilet!
5) Neighboring apartments emptied
all their household trash into the school premises
and broken sewage lines resulted in pools of stagnant
sewage water, all of which were ideal breeding
grounds for malaria, cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis,
dengue and many other diseases.
6) There was a lot of wasted
space. Huge rooms served as “bat caves”
and were garbage dumps for concrete ruins, broken
furniture and exposed live wires!
The most under-stressed failure
of government schools are the textbooks. These
books emphasize rote- learning and do not encourage
a child to express his feelings or think critically.
An art class comprises of a “textbook”
which is page after page of connect-the-dots!
The ancient teaching methods of memorization and
rote- learning are still being employed today
even though it has been proven that they are completely
ineffective. The stress everywhere in the world
now is to excite a child’s imagination and
encourage his curiosity. Instead our government
schools have uninteresting lessons that seem too
preachy and do not relate to a child’s personal
experiences. No wonder the attendance in government
schools is so low!
SMB Fatima Jinnah School and
College was also being used for unsocial activities
after school hours, where addicts were using the
school buildings to take drugs.
Within the campus, there were 8 separate schools
in operation e.g. Classes 1 and 2 were a separate
“school” from classes 3 and 4. There
were 8 principals running SMB Fatima Jinnah School!
In addition, there was a separate morning and
afternoon shift. The teachers came and went as
they pleased with no fear of penalty.
Zindagi Trust employed a 2- pronged strategy to
completely turn around this school- civil works
and academic/ administrative changes. The objective
was to set a standard that would become the norm
for all government schools. A school would have
to have the following facilities to be recognized
as a school by the government:
1) Wedding parties on school grounds were completely
banned. Part of the ground has been paved to make
a parking lot and the rest has been converted
into a running track/ sports ground.
2) A reception area has been
constructed with an emphasis on aesthetic appeal.
Photocopy machines, computers and filing cabinets
have been installed to ensure smooth administrative
function, as well as preservation of student records.
3) The corridors have been tiled
and lights have been installed to provide a cheery
and clean school environment. The grills have
been removed and 24- hour security guards are
placed at the school gates to ensure the safety
of the students.
4) Stray animals have been removed
from the school premises and class conditions
have been drastically improved. They have been
cleaned out, and blackboards have been made wall-to-wall.
Everyday after school, a proper cleaning staff
cleans the entire school campus from bathrooms
and classes to corridors and school grounds.
5) Sewage lines have been installed
and littering from neighboring residences has
been stopped. In addition, a proper health room
has been constructed where ALL students go for
regular check- ups. If need be, they are referred
to hospitals.
6) Proper water filters have
been installed to provide clean drinking water.
Bathrooms have been completely renovated. They
are maintained in a clean and hygienic condition
by janitorial staff that is present for the entire
duration of school hours.
7) A properly equipped computer
laboratory was constructed. The electricity problems
in the city were also taken into consideration
by installing a generator that can support the
entire school. In this way, the computer classes
are never cancelled. The 24- hour security ensures
that the premises, fixtures or equipments are
neither vandalized nor stolen.
8) The Science laboratory has
been properly stocked and improved.
9) An outstanding art room has
been constructed where the children are free to
explore their imaginations and express themselves
in any way they please. Lessons range from observational
drawing and handicrafts to pottery classes. Starting
from this year, the school will start hosting
a bi- annual art exhibition where the children’s
work will be displayed and promoted.
10) A state-of-the-art library
has also been constructed with books on a diverse
range of subjects. A qualified librarian documents
the collection and ensures quality on the shelves.
The students are encouraged to get into the habit
of reading and are allowed to borrow books to
take home.
11) Unfortunately in our country,
more emphasis is placed on secondary and post-
secondary education. Most educationists fail to
realize that the formative years of a child’s
development are from the kindergarten till the
third grade. Accordingly, the team at Zindagi
Trust AND Book Group has paid careful attention
to the teaching methods in the earlier grades.
The teachers are being trained in latest teaching
techniques, such as “phonics”. They
are also being made to realize the very harmful
effects of corporal punishment.
12) Zindagi Trust and
believe that the sole purpose of a school is to
help a child realize his/ her talents and then
help them improve and perfect that talent. In
accordance with this philosophy, SMB Fatima Jinnah
now offers a wide range of subjects ranging from
mathematics, english, science and islamiat to
basketball, taekwondo, rollerblading, art and
even rowing.
13)
When Zindagi Trust first adopted the school, most
of the teachers, who were not coming on time,
were using preoccupation with their young children
as an excuse. Accordingly, a daycare has been
built (picture below) on school premises, so that
the teachers can leave their young children there
while they teach. Since adoption, no latecomers
are allowed and strict note is made of absences.
14) A student body has also been
formed that ensures discipline throughout the
school. The body is elected by the students themselves
through a very organized poll- booth method. In
addition, the students now publish a monthly newspaper
that highlights activities in the school as well
as essays/ artwork of the students.
15) A modern multi- purpose conference
room has also been built where the student body
convenes its meetings. Teacher training sessions
also take place in this room. During student body
elections, the polling booths were placed in this
room.
The most novel and ground-breaking
change that has been brought about by Zindagi
Trust is the introduction of new textbooks. The
idea here is to take away the emphasis from “English-
medium” schools and instead develop the
child’s analysis and reasoning skills in
his own mother tongue (which is the language he
thinks in). This is far more efficient because
they will develop faster using this language than
a foreign language. English is also being taught
side-by-side using modern techniques of phonics
and later on concept development is also in English.
The teachers are performing very well in this
new environment, under the influence of an efficient
and motivated management.
SMB Fatima Jinnah is easily at
par with some of the good private schools in the
city. This fact is easily evident from the response
of parents who are opting to remove their children
from private schools and trying to put them in
this government school. And why not? This education
is completely free for the 2100 students of SMB
Fatima Jinnah School!
This is the paradigm of an ideal government school.
It will set the standard for all other schools
to follow. There needs to be a set list of minimum
standards for any school, government or private
for it to be recognized as a “school”.
Zindagi Trust is breaking the
psychological barrier that poor children should
be content with whatever little they get. “NO
differences can only make the difference”.
SMB Fatima Jinnah School is a testimony to the
fact that under privileged children can get absolutely
free outstanding education! |
