PEN Winter „13

Newsletter Vol. 3 Issue I

Established in 2005, Progressive

Education Network provides quality

education to underprivileged

children all over Pakistan.

PEN is a non-profit company

registered with the Securities and

Exchange Commission of Pakistan

under section 42 of the Companies

Ordinance 1984.

Progressive Education Network

adopts underserved public schools

in which it intervenes to improve

academic standards, increase

student enrolment and upgrade

infrastructure. In addition, we

initiate co-curricular activities that

foster character-building and

develop life skills among our

students.

FOUNDERS

Mr. Adnan Asdar Ali

Mr. Nadeem Babar

Dr. Arif Nazir Butt

Mr. Agha Shahid Majeed Khan

Dr. Shujaat Nadeem

Mr. Ahsan Imran Shaikh

Mr. Omar Khayyam Sheikh

PEN is audited by Deloitte – one

of the big 4 auditing firms in the

world – and the audit reports are

published online: www.pen.org.pk

Progressive Education Network is

certified by the Pakistan Centre

for Philanthropy for adherence to

high standards of Internal

Governance, Financial

Management and Program

Delivery. Donations to PEN are tax

deductible under Section 2(36) of

the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.

On the cover and above: students of Government Primary School, KeerKalan, which has been upgraded to Middle school.

Winter Teachers‟ Training

Broadening Perspectives

Encouraging Excellence

Crafting Dreams

Children‟s International Film Festival

Computer Education

Fostering Knowledge

New Facilities

News

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CONTENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Head Office:

57-Tipu Block, New Garden Town,

Lahore, Pakistan.

Tel: (042) 3584-2554

Fax: (042) 3583-7333

Email: info@pen.org.pk

Website: www.pen.org.pk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/penk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/penpk

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Dear Friends, Welcome to the Winter ‟13 issue of our newsletter. In this issue, you will find updates on our Fall activities and future plans. Currently, PEN is providing education to over 10,000 students through its adopted schools in Lahore, Karachi and Gujrat, with plans for expansion to Faislabad, Multan and Gujranwala. As we expand our reach across Pakistan and initiate new programs, I would like to reflect on the rationale behind the founding of Progressive Education Network. There are nearly 30 million children out of school in Pakistan. With an impending youth bulge in Pakistan‟s population, our failure to act now can lead to grave consequences–when a large number of young people join the workforce without the requisite skills to find gainful employment. Overwhelming majority of the families in our country sends their children to public schools – which lag far behind private schools in terms of student achievement. Therefore, with the purpose of reaching the broadest population of children, PEN operates public schools, under a public-private partnership, to improve academic standards and upgrade infrastructure to a minimum-acceptable level. We are able to leverage the existing infrastructure of public schools to focus on what is really important: academics. Our model allows a high multiplier effect for the core management resources and works very efficiently for academic interventions. Now we are replicating our initiatives in other regions of the country with the goal to positively impact the lives of 1 million children by 2025.

Our persistent efforts over the last few years have led to improved student learning outcomes. Furthermore, we have initiated co-curricular activities that foster character-building and develop life skills among our students. I am also delighted to inform you that Progressive Education Network was recently certified by the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy – which evaluates non-profit organizations against objective parameters in internal governance, financial management and program delivery. What sets us apart is our commitment to the highest level of corporate governance, adherence to the emerging trend of „radical openness‟ and complete stakeholder satisfaction. PEN is not dependent or linked to any dominant personality, which can weaken the survival odds of any organization.

We would love to hear any ideas you might have that could further our cause. Sincerely, Omar Khayyam Sheikh

From the Chief Executive

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Academic Intervention

Winter Teachers’ Training December 26, 2012 During the winter holidays, PEN organized teachers‟ training session in Lahore and Gujrat. It was the first time we held training for teachers of Gujrat cluster of schools and we are encouraged by their positive response. Notwithstanding the unusually cold weather and fog, all the teachers actively participated in the program. In addition to on-going training, which is held throughout the year, we organize comprehensive teachers‟ training during summer, winter and spring holidays. These training sessions are held from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Saturday. The training program focuses on topics that are identified by our academic team, which monitors and evaluates teacher competencies while school is in session. For teachers of Lahore schools who have completed several training sessions, our focus was on Teaching in English Language. The Government had abruptly changed the curriculum to English-medium and most teachers are having difficulty coping with it. So we are focused on building teachers‟ proficiency in English language.

For teachers of Gujrat cluster of schools, we focused on the following topics:

Classroom management

Child Psychology

Instruction in English Language To encourage class participation, we also offer small incentives to teachers and daily allowance as an incentive to maximize attendance.

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It‟s such a beautiful university. I didn‟t know that with good marks you can win scholarship to study here. Now I‟m definitely going to

apply after taking my F.Sc. exams. I want to be an engineer when I grow up.

Mussarat, Government Girls High School, Gopal Nagar.

“

.””

November 23, 2012: As part of our effort to expand horizons and broaden perspectives of our students, PEN is organizing academic tours for students to elite colleges and universities of the country. By visiting universities, students learn about the benefits of a university educat ion, the programs on offer and how these might f it into their own career ambit ions. I t helps them to set goals, and learn about college life. We organized the first academic tour to the prestigious Lahore University of Management Sciences. The specific objectives of the tour were as follows:

Enhance student‟s knowledge about Higher-

education institutions in Lahore.

Motivate them to consider LUMS for their higher-

education

Inform students about the National Outreach

Program

Build connectivity with role models

Inform students about campus-life and extra-

curricular activities at University level.

It was the first time many of the students had been to

a university and the tour was an opportunity to

interact with LUMS students and faculty.

Students of PEN schools visit LUMS for a day-long academic tour.

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Dr. Sohail Qureshi, Dean of the School Science of Engineering, gave visiting students a

presentation on the science and engineering programs.

Cross page: Students visited engineering labs, where they viewed experiments under progress,

Rausing Executive Development Center and the University Library.

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Dr. Adil Najam, Vice-Chancellor of LUMS, urged the students to apply to LUMS after a detailed presentation on the National Outreach Program – which offers free tuition and board to less privileged students.

At the end of the day, Members of the LUMS Community Service Society distributed souvenirs among the students.

Saturday, November 17, 2012: PEN awarded prizes

to students who have attained top positions in the

Board Exams for Class V and VIII. In addition,

students who have improved their marks in internal

exams also received awards.

Starting from this year, we will also award

incentives to students who regularly attend class and

never miss a day of school.

The incentives were distributed in a small ceremony

organized at our head office with the District

Monitoring Officer, Lahore, Mr. Malik Mushtaq as

the Chief Guest.

“We have a very high regard for PEN and its

endeavors in the education sector. In our meeting

with PEN‟s Board of Directors, we have proposed

that PEN should adopt more schools in our district.

I‟m personally very happy with your work,” said

Mr. Malik Mushtaq at the Incentives Distribution

Ceremony. “The Government stands to directly

benefit from your initiatives and I would urge all

teachers to actively participate in PEN‟s academic

programs.”

Encouraging

Excellence Incentives for Top Position Holders of

PEN adopted public schools

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November, 2012: PEN and the Next Generation Pakistan have collaborated to launch a mentoring program, titled, “Crafting Dreams,” for students of our adopted schools. The broader goal of the mentoring program is to build our students‟ connectivity with role models, character-building, and provide academic and career counseling. Initially, Crafting Dreams is being launched in the following schools: 1. Government Boys Middle School, Sadhoki Village. 2. Government Girls Middle School, Kot Lakhpat. 3. Government Girls High School, Gopal Nagar. We plan to expand it to other adopted schools by the end of this year and later to Gujrat and Karachi cluster.

After inviting applications and conducting thorough interviews, we have selected some of the most talented students and professionals as mentors for students of Class VI, VII and VIII in the above-mentioned schools. The mentors will spend a couple of hours with the students at least twice a month over a period of six months. The program is designed around activities that enhance interaction between the mentors and students. We strongly believe that no child should be left behind simply because he/she wasn‟t aware of the available opportunities. We‟d like to thank Next Generation Pakistan for its efforts to make this program a success.

Crafting Dreams

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4th International

Children’s Film Festival PEN participated in the 4th International Children's Film Festival held at the Ali Institute of Education, Lahore in September, 2012. Students of PEN adopted schools attended the festival which showcased educational films from 32 countries. PEN has a partnership with The Little Art, which organizes the annual event, to have students from public schools participate in the event along with students of affluent private schools. The film festival is aimed at education with entertainment value. It is designed to promote alternative learning among children. The festival features top international films in order to enhance children‟s creativity, exposure to different cultures, and the arts. It is a unique opportunity to have fun learning about different cultures. Lahore International Children‟s Film Festival is the only one-of-its-kind event held in Pakistan by The Little Art.

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Computer Education The benefits of living in a “global village‟ escape many people in our country: there is a widening divide between technology-haves and technology have-nots. Our goal is to bridge this divide by providing less privileged children access to computers through computer labs in our adopted schools. We aspire to develop students‟ competency in Computer skills, which in turn improves their reasoning and literacy skills. PEN has established its 5

th computer lab at the Government

Girls Middle School, Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat. The computer lab is equipped with LCDs, printer, wireless networking, and broadband internet connection. In addition, we plan to hire a highly-qualified computer instructor who will teach classes starting from Class I to VIII. After thorough research, we have developed a complete curriculum for Computer Science for all classes (KG to Class X). Through our experience, we have learnt that students who develop a good working knowledge of computers also show improvement in reading and arithmetic skills. In primary-level schools, we have provided computers for Kids‟ Room – used for early childhood education. Students of Class KG learn to use a computer, play educational games, sing-along poems, and watch informative programs. In the next few months, we will establish computer labs and provide computer instructors to the following schools: 1. Government Girls Junior Model School, Sheranwala Gate 2. Government Primary School, Keer Kalan 3. Government Girls Middle School, Servis Industry, Gujrat 4. Government Boys Elementary School, Jatto Waqal, Gujrat.

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Fostering Knowledge

We welcomed 2013 with a new initiative: Justuju – an

inter-school Quiz competition. Justuju is designed to

enhance students' knowledge of current affairs, history,

geography and international affairs.

Students of Class IV from all PEN adopted schools

participated in the competition which was held over three

days. In an effort to involve all students, the participants

were selected through preliminary rounds held in each

school.

The final round was held on the last day in which students

from 6 public schools took part.

The winners of Justuju 2013 were as follows:

First Prize: Govt. Primary School, Dar-ul-Haq

Runners Up: Govt. Primary School, Rehmanpura

2nd

Runners Up: Govt. Primary School, Sher Shah Colony.

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New Facilities

PROVISION OF FURNITURE (right)

After the completed reconstruction of Government Primary School, Zubaida Park, PEN has provided furniture for all classrooms. Ergonomics has a major role in enhancing student learning. With that in mind, we have provided child-friendly round tables and chairs for young children. Older children now use specially designed benches and chairs. The phenomenal transformation of Government Primary School, Zubaida Park, since its adoption three years ago is a matter of immense pride for us. We are now focused wholly on academic intervention, which includes teachers‟ training, increasing student enrolment, retention, and

student achievement.

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION OF CLASSROOMS (below)

Government Primary Girls School, Thaiyat Village, one of PEN adopted schools, had a shortage of classrooms. Students had to take their classes in a small garden next to the school building. Summers were especially brutal and the school had to be closed on rainy days. Due to lack of funds, the Government was unable to construct new classrooms. So PEN has constructed new classrooms and renovated existing ones to facilitate the students and teachers.

CROSS PAGE: Before & After Govt. Primary School,

Zubaida Park

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Before & After

Before & After

This is a classic example of what we are striving to achieve in public schools: build on existing resources and provide quality education to less privileged children across Pakistan. Government Primary School, Zubaida Park is located in a densely-populated neighborhood off Multan Road in Lahore. When PEN adopted the school two and a half years ago, the school building was crumbling. It was officially declared too dangerous for use. As you can see in the pictures, the children had to endure especially harsh conditions. Without proper classrooms, children had to take their classes without protection from cold or a shelter from sun. There was no electricity or running water and children did not have access to clean drinking water. After adopting the school, PEN immediately began to work with the department of education to rebuild the school. Classes were temporarily moved to a rented building. Since Government Primary School, Zubaida Park is located on private property; the Government was unable to carry out any renovation work. Through our persistent efforts, the owner of the property agreed to donate the building to the Government for use as a school. Then PEN and the Education Department worked together to plan and reconstruct the entire school. As you can see from the pictures, the new school building caters to the needs of the students and teachers. Children now have access to clean and cold drinking water, classrooms are properly lit and there are proper washrooms available. Our efforts have led to an increase in enrollment. Now we are wholly focused on academic improvement through teachers‟ training, addition of teachers, etc. We are also carrying out an enrollment drive in the neighborhood.

Before & After

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News

2 Primary Schools Upgraded

to Middle-level

January 1, 2013: The Department of Education has upgraded PEN adopted primary schools to Middle-level, after PEN intervention led to significant improvement of the schools‟ academics and infrastructure.

The schools that have been upgraded are as follows: Government Primary School, Keer Kalan Government Girls Primary School, Ali Liaquat Town

PEN has added teachers, maids, and conducted teachers‟ trainings at the schools. In addition, PEN constructed classrooms, toilets, provided electric water coolers with 3-stage filters, and carried out general renovations.

PEN and Ali Institute of Education

Form a Partnership

September 27, 2012: Progressive Education Network and the Ali Institute of Education have formed a partnership to provide teachers' training and conduct co-curricular activities for students and faculty of underserved public schools. A formal agreement was signed by Dr. Arif Nazir Butt, director of PEN and Mr. Shahid Majeed, Director of Ali Institute of Education.

Under the agreement, PEN will be able to use the facilities and Master Trainers of Ali Institute for its summer, winter and spring teachers‟ training sessions. The agreement will lead PEN and Ali Institute to collaborate on developing a comprehensive training curriculum.

Pakistan Centre for

Philanthropy Certifies PEN

October 8, 2012: Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy certified PEN. As a certification agency, Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy evaluates a non-profit company against objective parameters in the areas of internal governance, financial management and program delivery. PCP carried out a thorough evaluation of PEN's governance, business model, intervention plan and financials before deciding to certify PEN. As a result of PCP certification, the Federal Board of Revenue has granted PEN tax exemption status under section 2(36) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.

PENAdopts 14 More Schools

September, 2012: Under an agreement with the City District Governments in Lahore and Gujrat, PEN has adopted 14 additional schools, increasing the total number of adopted schools nation-wide to 40. PEN has now established a regional office in Gujrat which will cater to a cluster of ten schools there. Four additional schools were adopted in Lahore, three on Raiwind Road constituting the Raiwind Cluster and one in Shah Kamal, Icchra.

Servis Industries Signs a

Donation Agreement with

PEN

January 11, 2013: Servis Industries (Pvt) Ltd has signed a long-term donation agreement with PEN. According to the agreement, Servis Industries will sponsor PEN intervention in its adopted public schools in Gujrat.The formal agreement was signed between Mr. Omar K. Sheikh and Mr. Omar Saeed, Chief Executive, Servis Industries. 17