zinda-qaum: 2009

Teach For All

It all started with Wendy Kopp's thesis in her final year at The Princeton University. She developed the idea to eliminate education inequality in America. Her dream that "One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education" turned into a nation wide campaign. Thousands of young University graduates joined the movement "Teach For America" in an effort to make sure that soon all children in their country will have the same good quality education. Through the program recent graduates are recruited and sent to teach in the low income areas of the country for two years. They receive a normal salary and also an added voucher that can help them pay back their student loans or go ahead for further studies after the completion of two years.

In 2009 alone 35,000 applications were received to fill up some 4000 positions across the country.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_For_America)

Due to the increasing popularity of the program Wendy Kopp launched "Teach for all" in September 2007.It is a module that can be adapted worldwide by social entrepreneurs wishing to eradicate education inequity from their countries. It was recently adapted by India and has turned into a country wide movement.

Teach for Pakistan

In Pakistan we have multiple education systems. Good education is considered the right of only a privileged few. Government's education system is creating a class of followers. Private education systems( read: angraizi schools) are creating a class of rulers alien to the cultural sensitivities of Pakistan. The clash of systems has resulted in doing more damage than good. What we need is probably a nation wide campaign to eliminate this inequality, to make sure that genius is not lost to poverty and that every child in Pakistan receives a good quality basic education. We need to reach out.

I have recently come across a group of highly motivated young professionals at The Citizen's Foundation - a non profit organization with an aim to pick the children from streets and put them in schools. TCF has so far opened some 600 schools with almost 80,000 students in low income areas of the country. It is run by ordinary Pakistani's. Like you and me. Ordinary Pakistanis with an extraordinary vision. Last Saturday we were discussing about the Teach For All module and whether it can be adapted in Pakistan. Riaz Sahab- TCF's VP said he has been asking this question to many people around and has only heard many Nos so far.

"But I haven't yet taken a no for an answer", he chuckled as he added later “I am still looking for a social entrepreneur to come to me one day and tell me it is possible"

For those of you who want to think about this further please drop me a line. Remember all the times we have talked about educating Pakistan? Lets do it now.

Important Links:

http://www.teachforallnetwork.org/

http://67.19.228.180/teachforindia/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_For_America

http://www.thecitizensfoundation.org/main.php