HOPE AND ITS NETWORK OF HOME SCHOOLS

With a network of home schools spreading from the coastal commercial city of Karachi in the very south, into rural Sindh, rural Punjab and all the way up to the mountains of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the very north of Pakistan HOPE -  An Educational NGO in Pakistan, has been very determined and very focused in providing quality education to the general masses, especially in areas where schools are non-existent and the concept of education literally has no priority. Since its existence, HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan, has tirelessly endeavored, within its means, to minimize illiteracy in Pakistan – one of the few rare countries in the world whose literacy rate is actually going down.

Home schools play a vital role in educating children who have largely been ignored in Pakistan. These schools provide young children a chance to receive basic primary and secondary education. It also creates employment opportunities for educated girls in the community, who can teach in these schools and earn a living.  The practice of home schools is all about a teacher who volunteers to educate the children of her neighborhood and the surrounding areas, she dedicates a room in her house for this home school and allots several hours in teaching children almost all subjects which are taught in school on regular basis. The teacher is paid a certain amount by HOPE for her time, services and home.  The teachers of these home schools are usually students themselves of Intermediate, B. Com or BA. Who volunteer to teach during their off timing.

By saving on infrastructure, HOPE also manages to focus more on the quality of the teachers, who are handpicked and appointed after a thorough assessment and trial. Every year the teachers are also sent for training so that they can further enhance their skills. According to Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla – A Child Specialist in Karachi, she says the ultimate goal is to initiate a new system of learning which understands the reasons why so many children do not attend school.