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Message from the Chief Executive………..…..……………………….3

Summer Teachers’ Training….…………………………………………….4

Early Childhood Education in Public Schools……………………….6

Establishment of Computer Labs………………………….…….……...7

PEN Intervention at Govt. Primary School, 

Keer Kalan ………………………………………………………..….……….…..8

Construction work at Govt. Primary School, 

Wara Mewatian………………………………………………………………..10

Life Skills Training…………………………………………………………..…12

Our Partners……………………..……………………………………………..13

Our Core Values……………………..………………………………………..13

Progressive Education Network

Progressive Education Network is a non-profit company, registered under Section 42* of the Companies Ordinance 1984 with the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan, with a mission to provide quality education to underprivileged children across Pakistan.

*Section 42 regulated companies have to abide by strict regulations of disclosure auditing and controls under the governance of SECP (Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Academic Intervention 

Summer Teachers’ Training This year 122 teachers of Government schools completed our capacity-building program

Armed with knowledge of how to instruct students at different levels of academic progress, teachers are less likely to use corporal punishment or simply ignore students’ curiosity – which is unfortunately the case in public schools. Training in Mathematics, Science and English helps teachers implement techniques to ensure that students who are less advanced can keep up with the rest of the class. It also helps to improve academic progress of public-school students in the very subjects that they lag behind compared to their private-school counterparts. According to the Annual Status of Education Report 2011, public-school students take an additional 1.5 years to attain the competency level in reading and arithmetic skills that private-school students have. This is largely due to the competency gap of teachers in public and private schools. PEN is striving hard to fill this competency gap through on-going teachers’ training as well as comprehensive training programs in summer and winter holidays.

PEN’s Summer Teachers’ Training is held every year when schools are closed for summer holidays. Trainers from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Ali Institute of Education and our own master trainers offer courses on Motivation, Leadership Skills, School Management, Stress and Conflict Management, Audit and Accounts and Civil Works for the Head Teachers of PEN adopted public schools. In addition, class teachers receive training in Mathematics, English and Science. We also provide training in Preparation of Test Material, Evaluation of the students, Classroom Management and new pedagogical methods in practice around the world.

Teachers are also offered incentives for performing well especially in a group setting.

This year PEN also offered courses in Computer Science and how to incorporate I.T. in the curriculum. Now that PEN has established computer labs in some its schools and plans to establish them in all the schools, it has become important to train teachers on how best to use them in a classroom setting.

Through continuous monitoring and evaluation of teachers, PEN identifies areas in which training could be useful to improve a teacher’s pedagogical skills. Based on that analysis, each teacher is assigned courses during the Summer Teachers’ Training Program.

We received very positive feedback from the trainees this year and the largest number of teachers to date completed our training program.

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Academic Intervention 

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Academic Intervention 

Early Childhood Education in Public Schools

Research has shown that one year of pre-primary education significantly improves a student’s test scores through-out primary level. It has also proven to positively impact a student’s attention span, class participation and discipline. Children learn self-control and socialize with their peers; which influences their performance in a classroom setting later on. Hence, Kids’ Rooms have been established in all PEN adopted schools which facilitates Early Childhood Education in underserved communities. Kids’ Rooms are equipped with essential learning items that make learning fun and students are encouraged to participate in different activities in a group setting. PEN has provided computers with speakers to the Kids’ Room so children can get a head start in computer education. Each computer is pre-loaded with children’s poems and other learning software. Teachers now proudly proclaim that children have learnt to play games and rhymes on these computers.

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The need to have I.T. skills is inevitable in today’s fast-paced world. Companies look for recruits with excellent I.T. skills and it has become increasingly important for an individual to have good I.T. skills to function productively.

With a focus on imparting I.T. education at public schools, PEN has established computer labs in some Primary, Middle and High Schools. Students attending these schools come from low-income families and they do not have access to computers at home or anywhere else.

In addition to the computer lab, PEN has provided I.T. instructors with at least a Masters degree in Computer Science. The new instructors have prepared lesson plans, syllabus break up and introduced computer classes for students starting from Primary-level.

Establishing computer labs has led to increase in enrolment. Parents in the local communities have transferred their children from private schools to give their children a chance to learn computer education.

Academic Intervention 

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Establishment of Computer Labs

Students of Government Girls High 

School, Gopal Nagar at the Inauguration 

ceremony of the computer lab 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thaiyat village is located close to the Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area in Lahore. Most of the residents are low-income blue-collar workers at Kot Lakhpat’s factories. The village has just two Government schools which were adopted by PEN in 2010. PEN had provided clean-drinking water facilities, renovated classrooms and carried-out general repairs in both schools.

However, there was a large sewerage pond next to the school that collected sewerage from the entire village. It was a serious health and environmental hazard to the school children and the village residents. Students were particularly exposed to dengue, malaria and skin diseases. The foul smell from the pond was another concern of the teachers and parents. PEN approached the local Government to drain the pond and install proper sewerage pipes.

Through our persistent efforts, the sewerage pond was finally removed. The pond has been drained and covered up. The local Government will soon start work on installing sewerage pipes. When students return to school after the summer holidays, they will no longer have to endure a major health hazard. The village residents have also appreciated the move which would help us with community mobilization so they will take more active interest in the affairs of the school.  

Infrastructure Rehabilitation in Public Schools While PEN is focused on what goes inside the classroom (i.e. academic progress), we routinely carry out infrastructure rehabilitation at public schools with a shortage of funds. This helps to create a conducive environment for learning in schools where students have to endure harsh circumstances and helps to increase enrolment because when parents in local communities notice the changes they are more willing to send their children to school.

Our aim is to upgrade public schools to a minimum acceptable level: classrooms should have proper lighting and fans, proper blackboards; students should have a bench so they don’t have to sit on the floor, access to cold and filtered drinking water and hygienic toilets.

Unfortunately, public schools in underserved communities lack even the most basic facilities. Hence, when the Government is unable to carry out essential up gradation, PEN has to intervene. In order to meet these challenges, PEN has a civil engineer on staff to ensure that construction work is of top quality.

Recently, PEN carried out renovation at Government Primary School, Keer Kalan (pictures overleaf). This school had fallen into disrepair and a portion of the school building had become too dangerous for use.

At Government Primary School, Keer Kalan PEN carried out electric work to ensure proper lighting and fans, constructed a new toilet block, and installed an electric water cooler with a 3 stage filter, windows repair and minor renovation accompanied by complete paint work.

Infrastructure rehabilitation at this school has increased enrolment numbers. We expect more admissions in fall this year.

Infrastructure Improvement 

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Government Schools in Thaiyat Village, Lahore. 

Infrastructure Improvement 

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The photographs, above, were taken at the Government Primary School, Keer Kalan after PEN renovated the school 

Construction work at the Government Primary School, Wara Mewatian Government Primary School, Wara Mewatian is located next to a small village off Raiwand Road in Lahore. A few months ago, when PEN surveyed the school it had a dilapidated building that comprised of just two classrooms. The school had no boundary wall, toilets, running water or electricity. The school had just fifty students and one teacher. There are no government schools nearby where village residents could send their children.

Recently, PEN launched the ‘Good Neighbor Program”, which allows individuals and companies to sponsor up gradation of public schools in the vicinity of their homes, offices or factories through PEN.

Under the Good Neighbor Program, The Coca-Cola Export Corporation entered into a partnership with Progressive Education Network for the construction and infrastructure rehabilitation of the Government Primary School, WaraMewatian.

After adoption of the school was complete, PEN immediately began work to rehabilitate the school. Construction has now reached the final stage and it is expected to be completed by the end of August.

When students return to school in fall, the school will have three newly-constructed classrooms; the existing ones will have been renovated, new toilets, furniture, accessible cold and filtered-drinking water and a boundary wall. PEN is also working actively to increase enrolment at the school to at least 250 students through community mobilization which involves door-to-door visits and public campaigns in the village of Wara Mewatian urging parents to send their children to school. PEN will also provide additional teachers at the school to reduce class-size.

In future PEN will establish a computer lab and library at the school.

Infrastructure Improvement 

This photograph, above, was taken in May, 2012 before PEN adoption, it depicts the dilapidated condition of 

the school. 

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Infrastructure Improvement 

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Co‐curricular Activities 

Life Skills Training Life skills education is considered increasingly important in promotion of health and hygiene awareness among children. Hence, PEN has initiated programs to conduct life skills training in all its adopted schools.

The Life Skills Training program was launched in May at the Government High School for Girls, Sheranwala Gate. Students were taught essential techniques to maintain a healthy lifestyle which included ways to ensure hygiene in their school and home. Children learnt proper hand-washing technique, which can prevent the spread of many contagious diseases.

In addition, PEN organized sports activities and public speaking lessons. Through 45-minute sessions of life-skills training, PEN aims to develop inter-personal skills among less privileged children.

As part of the program, PEN will also hold short lessons to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills among students of public schools.

 

 

 

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