1
0
Federal Joint Secretary Education, Asif Iqbal Asif, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) thanked RSPN for supporting education through its educational programmes, including MYRP, during keynote address at Policy Advocacy Workshop – Voices for Education: From Evidence to Action. Government is focusing on improving education and special education. We need to capitalise on youth bulge, and enroll out-of-school children, who are more than 26 million, because educated children means developed nation. RSPN has appreciably gathered all education sector stakeholders here for education, so that no child is left out-of-school, especially because disasters like recent floods in Pakistan, have increased the number of out-of-school children. We will take the RSPN’s message of quality education with us, he said.
Education Programme Manager, ECW Amani Bwami Passy highlighted ECW-supported programmes in Pakistan, including MYRP, and recently announced First Emergency Response (FER) with RSPN as its Grantee, in response to the damage caused to schools during recent Monsoon floods. He expressed commitment for continued support for education in crisis and emergency.
Vice Chairman RSPN, and CEO of Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP), Masood ul Mulk, welcomed the guests and stressed the need for collaboration of all education sector stakeholders, especially local communities and government, with development partners for educational reforms, especially in deprived rural areas of Pakistan.
Abdul Salam, Special Secretary Education, Balochistan congratulated RSPN for advocating for education. ECW’s MYRP has tremendous impact in Loralai, Kohlu and Panjgur districts. We request ECW to continue the programme, and scale it up to other districts, because this will have tremendous impact on Balochistan’s educational improvement. Early Childhood Education and accelerated learning programme centres, community participation, learning outcomes and school conditions have significantly improved education. Balochistan government is committed to providing quality, compulsory free education for all and collaborating with development partners for enrolling out-of-school children and improving education.
CEO RSPN, Shandana Khan thanked all participants, especially programme school children from Loralai and community children. RSPN in collaboration with UNICEF and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) has worked for education, and education in emergencies. We can demonstrate, and government’s integration can enable scale-up. ECW’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) (2022-2025), and recently awarded First Emergency grant to RSPN, and FCDO supported comprehensive programmes for flood affected schools are setting evidence for action. MYPR’s holistic support, including improvement of teaching-learning conditions in schools and education systems is an example. Our MYRP implementing partner Balochistan Rural Support Programme team appreciably made it possible, through support of education department, communities and education stakeholders. We commit for collaborating and integrating for education.
Deputy Secretary – SED, South Punjab. Khawaja Mazhar-Ul-Haq, said that education department developed a unified training manual for uniform capacity building. RSPN inspiringly supported flood affected schools through rehabilitation and improving teaching-learning conditions. We are focusing on climate resilient infrastructure and community engagement.
Programme Manager MYRP, Nasreen Shaikh informed that 49, 782 children, including out-of-school children were reached in Kohlu, Loralai and Panjgur districts through multi-year programme, in formal and non-formal education. Our Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) centres for out-of- school children received appreciation from communities and education stakeholders. Community mobilisation, capacity building of teachers, rehabilitation of WASH facilities, construction of ramps, vocational training for girls, provision of cash-based support for education and transport for girls, provision of teaching and learning materials, menstrual hygiene management; psychosocial support, prevention of bullying, school champion clubs, digitisation and system strengthening through valued support of UNHCR, health screening and provision of assistive devices enabled programme’s success.
Ehsan Ullah, Coordinator ESWG, delivered a session on Coordinated Education Response in Emergencies and Protracted Crises: Strengthening Resilience Through Partnerships. He highlighted coordinated response and collaborative approaches under the MYRP), with UNICEF, RSPN and VSO as key consortium partners, who successfully implemented it for quality education. The impressive results led to the ECW’s First Emergency Response (FER) grant recently awarded to RSPN for recent flood affected districts in Pakistan. He displayed a video on UNICEF implemented ECW’s Anticipatory Action pilot. These highlight how these initiatives collectively contribute to strengthening resilience and enhancing the overall education sector response in crisis-affected context.
The panel discussion titled Resilience in Action: How Communities Strengthen Education During Crises, was moderated by Nasreen Shaikh, Programme Manager -MYRP. CEOS of BRSP, SRSP, NRSP, TRDP and SRSO shared grassroot experiences, insights, challenges, viable solutions and recommendations for provision of quality education. The discussion focused on government’s lead role in education reforms, in collaboration with communities, education stakeholders and development partners. Education resilience needs community resilience and engagement.
Real Stories, Real Impact: How Education Changed Lives, panel discussion moderated by Zeenat Ara, Education Specialist-MYRP encompassed insights from MYRP programme beneficiary students, teachers, parents and community representatives. Student panelists shared how programme support, like provision of assistive devices and MHM support. Two teachers informed about student centred teaching transformation, including psychosocial support after programme’s capacity building. Local Support Organisation (LSO) president committed community support for education and development, and requested ECW’s programme for continuing and scaling-up support for education.
Chief Operating Officer- RSPN, Bashir Anjum, moderated a session Building Back Better – Leveraging Learning from Ongoing EiE Programmes for the Upcoming ECW supported First Emergency Response (FER) and other EiE programmes This session explored how we can leverage lessons from ongoing Education in Emergencies (EiE) programmes, such as ECW-supported MYRP and Anticipatory Action (AA), FCDO’s Bringing Children Back to School (BCBS), and the British Council’s GOAL and ILMPact projects to inform the upcoming ECW First Emergency Response (FER). We’ll reflect on what has worked well, what challenges persist, and how we can ensure faster, more inclusive, and resilient education responses in times of crisis.
Panelists included students, community representatives, members of Parent-Teacher School Management Committess (PTSMCs); education department and education ministry officials, educationists, and CEOs of Rural Support Programmes.
MYRP beneficiary school children from Loralai presented an insightful and amazing role play titled “Ghar se Umeed Taq Ka Taleemi Safar” or the educational journey of hope from home to hope. The role play portrayed drop- out boy and out-of-school girl and boy siblings, who want to study, but can’t because of financial crisis. The MYRP team informs them about MYRP’s cash-based transport and free of cost quality education support, and improved teaching learning conditions, and children happily get enrolled in programme’s Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) centre. Then students can be happily seen studying and repeating message regarding quality education.
Videos of the programme highlighted the key educational support and reforms. Shields and certificates were awarded to the provincial and district level Education Department, MYRP’s implementing partner BRSP and participating children.
COO-RSPN, Bashir Anjum in concluding remarks reflected on the ongoing advocacy initiative of RSPN for education. He said that resilient education means collaborative education. We must share evidences, best practices and lessons learnt. Government and all education stakeholders must integrate, so that no one is left behind.
