Education is a basic human need but in today’s world access to quality education has become a dream for the common man. They prefer to have a house, but there is a school in the Taiser Town area of Karachi where children are provided quality education for a fee of one rupee.
MM News arranged a special session with Parveen Rao, the mastermind of Amal-e-Danish School, to find out about this unique project.
MM News: When did the idea of establishing the Amal-e-Danish School come up?
Parveen Rao: I set up this school in 1996, my hobby was to set up a place where children deprived of education due to fees issues can be educated.
MM News: How did Amal-e-Danish School begin and what was the age limit?
Parveen Rao: We started this school by renting a house in Surjani Town. There is no age limit for admission to our school.
MM News: What was the reason for fixing one rupee fee?
Parveen Rao: Initially I thought that I would ask less for the children and bear the rest of the expenses myself but when I started teaching them I found out that these children are unable to pay even a 30 rupees fee.
MM News: How do you cover the cost of education?
Parveen Rao: In the beginning, I used to educate children alone and bear the expenses, but gradually the rumors of Amal-e-Danish School reached the media and people started supporting me in fulfilling this noble cause.
MM News: What is the method of education in your school?
Parveen Rao: I have divided this school into four dimensions, in the first part along with education and skills and it should be in every school, i.e. children learn any skill two days a week.
In the second part, such children are not able to get an education at an early age. Here in the high school section, older children are taught 6 classes in 3 years.
The third part is community services, we want to instill in children a spirit of service to others. For the children of 7th and 8th class, 30 marks have been added in the examination and the children of these classes are conscious, so a condition has been laid down for them as to what services they have rendered for their township and to read to an illiterate person in a year.
The fourth aspect is that the Teacher Training and Education Support Program, it is not customary in our country to send girls to school for regular training.
MM News: Is there a program for teachers with children?
Parveen Rao: It is very painful for me when it is said that there should be only BA, so we have created a system in our school that teacher training will continue throughout the year. Education, the child’s skills, the child’s psychology, everything that does not come will be taught.
MM News: How do you support children after matriculation?
Parveen Rao: In our society, parents often say that we have matriculated and taught a lot and it’s enough to get a job. That’s why we provide on-the-job education to our children, ie we give them loans to do their BA and MA.
MM News: What is the reason for focusing more on fine arts in practice?
Parveen Rao: As far as the arts are concerned, there is an example that if you listen to something, they forget you after a while, but when you see something, it hurts you a lot and much more. This explains fine art is something in which you work in different ways as it opens your mind.
MM News: Apart from education, what skills are taught to children here?
Parveen Rao: We teach children embroidery, electrician, mobile phone repair, and some other skills and interestingly, when we teach children something, they do more than they say.
MM News: What message would you like to give to the citizens regarding action and wisdom?
Parveen Rao: There is a plan to improve the generation and we need teachers and financial support for this purpose and if anyone wants to join us in this work, it will be a matter of happiness for us.
