ORANGI PILOT PROJECT RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE  (OPP-RTI)

 

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

1. In the katchi abadis of Karachi, the OPP-RTI has come across an interesting development, that of the educated youth taking the initiative to educate their neighbourhood children and opening small schools in homes. However, due to lack of funds and resources, they felt handicapped and mostly the initiative would fizzle out.	2. The OPP-RTI supports these young enterpreneurs by providing small grants. This has proved to be effective in confidence building. The above picture shows the first phase of development at the Bright Education School.	3. Second phase development of the same school. Technical support for physical expansion is provided by community architects trained by the housing programme at the TTRC.

 

Till May 2007, 359 small schools have been supported in setting up and upgrading. 341 of these are operating, 18 schools have dropped out and one is closed. Of the 341 functioning schools, 92 are outside Orangi. The drop out rate has been higher in the schools supported in the initial period.

4. Provision of adequate ventilation has been focused in physical upgrading of schools.	5. Upgraded school buildings have better ventilation, are cool shades and disperse noise better.	6. Teachers' Training Courses and a lecture series are arranged for teachers. These encourage small schools to come together and network. Grant support is a source of confidence building which is strengthened by the above activity.

Total twelve teacher training courses have been coordinated, in which 315 teachers belonging to 124 schools participated. A number of networks of 10-50 schools have evolved with joint activity of teachers training, exhibitions and seminars. 7 such networks are in contact with OPP-RTI. These serve as resource bases for teachers training. A saving group ( of 35 schools) mobilized and facilitated by TTRC is active, about Rs.150,000 has been saved thru monthly contributions. Alliances of several schools in Site and Baldia Towns were introduced to this savings group, lately several schools in Site and Baldia Town have begun savings likewise.

7. Effort is being made to strengthen these emerging teachers resource centers, One of the schools supported earlier has evolved into a dynamic institution. It has developed trainers for teachers training, set up a library and is supporting many other schools with teachers training and physical upgrading on the pattern of the OPP-RTI program.

Documentation shows that the grant for the first stage (amounting to Rs. 12000) in cases has been used as cash payment to thallas (building component manufacturing yards) of furniture manufacturers, who have then provided building components and materials or furniture on credit worth double the amount. Some schools have therefore been able to manage physical development worth Rs. 25,000 - 30,000 (av.). The school entrepreneurs have received most financial support from the family for initiating and strengthening the schools. Interviews of 50 more schools have been completed to understand the impact of the support. An evaluation report has been compiled.

The 2002 survey of the UCs of Orangi Town shows that there are 644 private schools (set up by local educational entrepreneurs) and 69 Government schools. Of the private schools, it has been observed that 50 percent i.e. 322 are small schools falling in the first stage category with students' enrollment averaging between 42 - 193. The support for the first stage has been provided to 267 schools, 55 remain. With grants from Homeless International support is being extend to more schools in Orangi, there is also expansion of program to Baldia, Site and Gadap Towns.