Islamabad to Rawlakot
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Islamabad to Rawlakot
Hope in a dismal world
By Aaliya Bondrey
I HAD never considered myself a weakling. However, a three-hour road journey from Islamabad to Rawlakot up the hilly mountainous terrain of the north removed any illusions I had about my “so-called physical endurance”. As we embarked upon our journey from Islamabad to witness the quality of education being imparted at a public school located in the heart of Kashmir, the vehicle in which we had set out for our destination lurched backward and forward rather precariously on the narrow winding roads of the north, often barely missing any ditches that were encountered en route. On the outside, I faked nonchalance; inwardly, I was fighting bouts of nausea. Our gracious hosts driving us to Rawlakot were distinguished gentlemen who had all grown up climbing mountains and often diving into the River Jhelum for a thrill. Needless to say, we were assured that this was the safest way to get to Kashmir.
However, I didn’t realise that what lay ahead would make all hardships endured during the journey seem trivial and insignificant. The reality that unfolded when we reached our destination at the Pearl Valley in Rawlakot highlighted the obvious, that is, just how much we take everything that we have for granted — be it the basic amenities of life or the finer things. For most of us caught up with our individual hectic lifestyles, indifference and apathy come part and parcel with our existence. Seldom do we find the time to give the well-being of others a thought and even when we do, seldom do those thoughts ever materialise into actions — yet every now and then there is a jolt of awakening that brings home painful realisations. It was therefore heartening to witness the endeavours of some people in the far reaches of the north for children belonging to the poorest sections of society.
As cliched as it may sound, seeing is believing and what I experienced in Rawlakot moved me in ways I cannot describe. The smiles on these children’s faces were genuine and the confidence that they exuded was real. For them, no truth is greater than the education currently being imparted at their school — education that is easily on a par with any quality private school anywhere in the world today, with no compromises whatsoever on its quality or standard. Backed by state-of-the-art facilities, no areas have been overlooked by the organisers in providing the finest educational experience to children for whom acquiring any kind of education was once an unachievable prospect. The fact that the school building, which is built as per the Richter Scale for that area, remained intact and unscratched despite facing one of the most devastating earthquakes of the century alone speaks volumes for the quality and infrastructure of the school building from which 350 children emerged completely unharmed after the tragic October 8 earthquake.
Today despite its sparkling rivers and mesmerising beauty, the valley of Kashmir lags far behind in education. With the rising costs of decent schooling, there exists little choice for the disadvantaged masses but to attend government schools sadly lacking even the bare minimum facilities. It was these harsh ground realities that motivated a group of philanthropists and individuals to establish the organisation. Set up in the year 1994 as a voluntary non-profit, non-political educational NGO, the foundation which is certified by The Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy was fuelled by a vision to create role models out of talented children constituting the deprived populations in the north in an effort to help them keep pace with today’s ruthlessly competitive world.
Currently registered in the Azad Kashmir, Pakistan and the UK, it is managed by a 12-member board of trustees. The school project was launched in 1996. Covering an area of four acres of land, the school symbolised the humble beginnings of what was to come, that is, new doors of opportunity for children in the north.
Today, more than a decade later with the first batch of the school securing a class average of 80 per cent in its matriculation exams and ranking no. 7 in performance out of 157 schools from all across the country, the foundation is well on its way to achieving its vision. With classes up to GSCE level and an affiliation with the Federal Board of Education and the Aga Khan University Board, the school which caters to the educational needs of talented children from Rawlakot as well as its surroundings villages, has become an astounding success story. Equipped with facilities like auditorium, playground, state-of-the-art gymnasium, full-fledged computer labs backed by the latest audio-visual system, special labs for biology and physics, residential accommodation for the school’s principals, a hostel for lady teachers, an arts and craft room and a library stacked with informative and fictional books by every conceivable author; the school now gives children hailing from the poorest sections of society the hope and confidence to compete with the best in the world.
In their effort to ensuring students’ academic journey remains productive and memorable, the school’s faculty devotes considerable time and effort to imparting activity-based learning, research skills, technical know-how and subject-specific knowledge to these children through a special curriculum designed on the British Educational System. The foundation has also established an Institute of Teacher’s Education to provide quality training facilities for young female graduates from rural areas and help them become providers of the best quality of teaching and learning.
Through its endeavours to promote education in rural areas, today the foundation has catalysed a revolution in ideas and actions to increase girls’ participation in education — so much so that rural girls’ primary school attendance in the village has mushroomed after the establishment of the school. Since the policy of the foundation is to give priority to female education, girls constitute over 50 per cent of the total number of students. The mere sight of so many young girls dressed in uniform interacting confidently with their male counterparts and teachers in one of the remotest villages of Kashmir was proof of the fact that illiteracy today no longer equates ignorance. The villagers residing in Rawlakot have whole-heartedly embraced education as a means to safeguarding their children’s future.
Relating her academic journey at the school as being memorable and life changing, Faiza, a young student aged 14, the daughter of a carpenter in the village, can see hope in the distant future. With a meagre income of Rs1,500 and six hungry mouths to feed, Faiza’s father is barley able to make ends meet. Someday Faiza hopes to turn the tables of fate by becoming a successful engineer. Faiza has been studying at the school since the age of two. Well familiar with technology, with a strong command over English, Faiza can debate for hours on any given subject. Today, her education has spurred within her the desire to challenge the odds and aim for the stars. Faiza’s mother is a simple uneducated housewife who supports her daughter whole-heartedly in her ambitions and is immensely proud of her current progress at school.
Thirteen-year-old Omar Farooq is yet another example of courage steeled with determination and willpower. Studying, like Faiza, on scholarship granted by the organisation, Omar has four siblings, out of whom Omar and his youngest brother were fortunate enough to be granted admission on the basis of merit. Being the eldest child, Omar’s responsibilities towards his family have increased drastically after the death of his father. His problems are magnified further today by the state of his youngest sister, who is mentally and physically handicapped, yet Omar refuses to let his misfortunes crush his spirit. “I want to provide for my family and make sure that they do not feel the absence of an earning ember,” he admits bravely. Prepared to invest whatever it takes to achieve this goal, Omar has immersed himself wholeheartedly in his academic pursuit and is facing life’s challenges head-on. Omar’s story is no different from that of the countless other children studying at the school. Yet for these children, their present symbolises the greatest truth of all.
Encouraged by the phenomenal success of the school, the foundation concerned has recently established a second school in the Pakhowal village of Bisali on a similar pattern. Located at a distance of 30kms from Rawalpindi, it includes a built Institute of Teaches’s Education with hostel facilities and now offers limitless opportunities for advancement to talented children belonging to the rural communities around the Bisali village. Over the next 10 years, the foundation intends to establish more of such schools in the rural areas of Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta.
