EDUCATION
SCF has deeper understanding on the need of education for everyone for communities to prosper. SCF has been engaged in education sector through advocacy and enrolment and retention campaigns in various districts and have been successful in increasing retention rate and decreasing dropout rate through its various education related projects like take a child to school, transportation support for girls education, etc. SCF understands the importance of teacher’s training for creating conducive environment and hence SCF has actively involved in capacity building of teachers in modern teaching techniques.SCF also trained more than 200 female schools teachers on the gender based teaching methodology , inquiry based science education , concept of entrepreneurship and also trained 40 female head teachers on modern art and skills of planning, management and leadership to run school and enrollment campaigns effectively. This has increased retention of girl’s students in lower secondary grades in 20 girl’s secondary schools in both districts.
Additionally, SCF has also involve in equipping the schools with physical infrastructure like, equipping science laboratories, providing access to safe drinking water etc. SCF has contributed in increasing the enrollment and retention ratio of the primary schools in Matairi and Tando Muhammad Khan districts of Sindh. It enrolled and retained more than 6000 children in 180 primary schools of both districts of Sindh who had low enrollment and retention ratio. SCF contributes in increasing secondary education by enrolling and retention of 400 girls in districts of Matiari and Tando Muhammad Khan of Sindh. SCF has also provided sports and furniture fixtures in number of schools and provided schools bags to 1096 girl’s students. SCF has also implemented and piloted a project; curb child marriage through transportation support. It supported 50 girl students from poor socio-economic background who otherwise were vulnerable to child marriage. The transportation support helped 50 girls to continue the secondary education in three schools. This facility has motivated the parents for continuation of their girl’s education to secondary schools after completion of primary schools. This project also helped in increasing awareness among other parents on the importance of secondary schools. With this, the girls vulnerable to child marriages have been protected against the early or child marriages. The ratio of girl’s secondary education increased in the rural areas. Girl’s education has become one of the prioritization of the parents.VEC have played vital role in mobilization and motivation of the parents and community members against early or child marriages. The leadership skills of the 50 girls are improved and these girls cascade their knowledge to their peers to raise awareness on right to education and adverse impact of early marriage. 150 girls and young women who never went to school or dropped out have increased literacy level writing and reading basic calculation applying in their daily lives.SCF has also established 7 science laboratories in 7 by government girl’s secondary schools to increase science education among the girls. These laboratories are providing greater practical and conducive learning environment to more than 1800 girls. Beside, SCF has also advocated for implementation of Right to Education article 25-A in constitution of Pakistan and recent legislation of Sindh Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act at local and policy levels.
Wheel for Education
SCF has continued its flagship program to provide transportation support for the girls enrolled in lower and upper secondary grades in rural areas to continue their education. Access is the major challenge in Sindh for girls to continue their secondary education as the middle and high schools are around 2 to 3 km away from the school where girls can only move with transpiration access. Most of the girls belonging to people with low incomes often could not continue their education after completing primary. To boost those girls’ access, SCF provided transport support to the 50 girls who crossed last year’s grade ahead. For this, SCF generated its resources and mobilized local philanthropists and like-minded people to support.
Promoting STEM girls
SCF has identified that the number of girls secondary schools do not have well equipped science. The STEM program supported in well equipping the science laboratories in these girls offering the conducive learning environment for improving the scores in science subjects. SCF has identified 15 girls’ secondary schools in district Matiari and Thatta lacking with modern science laboratories. SCF has planned to establish and updated the existence science laboratories with new learning material to create conducive digital learning environment in 15 schools in year 2024. SCF is in contact with CSR donors, national and international donors to support this model.
Education through Sports
In Pakistan, sports is mostly reserved for males since many years whereas girls have been left behind from sports. Boys are encouraged to participate in the sports since their schooling whereas girls are not prioritized. Girls’ schools lack play grounds limiting them to text books only. Besides, school administration is not also concerned about promoting sports due to limited resource and lack of awareness on importance of sports for physical and mental growth and development of girls. Sindh province is also lacking with the sports facilities and activities in secondary schools. Number of studies and assessment shows that shows the lack of infrastructure and sports equipment, lack of opportunities for participation indoor and outdoor games and inadequate capacity of female sports teachers are the major reasons of poor sports status for girls in secondary schools. Sindh Community Foundation has addressed this issue as this has serious negative consequences on the lives , educational stations and mental health of the girls mainly. SCF has organized a number of sports activities for particularly for girls and organized girl’s tournament of Table Tennis in Hyderabad. More than 50 female Table tennis players participated in the tournament and more than 500 girls attended the different events of tournament SCF has trained 20 teachers of 5 primary schools on Dosti Training module education through sports and provided sports kits . SCF is planning to launch sportsto promote girls participation in sports program in the year 2022. In past SCF has been engaged in prompting sports for girls ‘schools and have provided sports material to 20 girl’s secondary schools of Matiari and Tando Muhammad Khan districts where more than 2000 girl students utilized sports facilities. The local administration and education department at district and provincial level are not much sensitized on the importance of sports on mental and physical health.
Adult and Adolescent Literacy and Training Program
SCF has been engaged in women and girls empowerment and has undertaken number of activities to create access to secondary education for adolescent girls. It also provided literacy training to the adult women, men and adolescent girls and boys who never went schools. In this regard, in cooperation with Sindh Community Foundation, SCF established Adult and Adolescent Literacy and Training Center at Bulri Shah Kareem; a small town of district Tando Muhammad Khan. The center has provided basic literacy packages to ; A total of 176 male ( 101) and (75) female learners developed the basic literacy Skills through 8 months long literacy package. 65 male female youth are being provided with skills training at AALTP center. These 56 men and women learners received skill development training as per their need. These skills trainings will be soon start next year which will enable them to earn good income and living an economically prosperous life which will ultimately reduce the poverty in rural areas. Duration of literacy package is of 8 months long. Male female trained teachers are offering their services to adults and adolescents. The participants of literacy classes were taught through various methodologies such as games and audio visual to make them understand on various subject matters. More than 56 women learners first time attended classes and now they are able to read and write their name and read sentences and can calculate. Center is equipped with space, furniture fixture, audio-visual equipment, and library, computers and sports material.SCF conducted a number of door to door social mobilization meetings with parents to prevent the learner go dropout and retained them through strong motivational by social mobilization team and motivated teachers.
