The Last Day of Class

Today was the last day of class. Tomorrow I head back to Lahore after two weeks of observing and teaching in the Government school. The past few days gave me a chance to talk to the girls about their experiences, their perceptions of the outside world and their responses to the computers. Many of them seemed excited about internet and email; although they had no previous knowledge that such a thing existed. I told them about America and how email would enable them to get messages extremely quickly from one country to another. At the same time, I saw how far the computer lab had progressed. By my last day, a simple roof had been constructed and the walls had been cemented. The toilets were progressing slower. This week the contractors will put on the floors and fit in the sinks and basins.
The girls were very sad when I told them today would be our last class together, some of them asking why I was leaving and when I would be back. We put up the best pictures on the walls and I gave prizes of colour pencils and water colour paints to the top three. All in all it was a fruitful two weeks. Some of the girls made beautiful pictures and many of them wanted to put them up as well. They promised they would keep working over the year. Their enthusiasm was heartening, showing that further initiatives such as installing internet will be well met. Even some recent graduates of the school walked in during class. It was even more heartening to know that they would be applying to classes 11 and 12 once the government finished construction of the new intermediate college next door.
I felt a little sad once I left the school. My time here was short but well spent.

First week of class

Art class with the girls began on June 15th. It took a few days to get a dial up connection working on my laptop, so my entries for the first week are late. Classes were a smooth transition for the most part. It took a while for the girls to get used to having me as a teacher. I would walk in at 10:20 a.m. and find over 80 girls out of their chairs, chattering away and without a teacher in charge. However, they would see me and immediately jump to attention shouting out "Assalamolaikum, Miss" ("Hello, Miss" in Urdu). Interestingly enough, despite not having anyone in charge, it didn't take long for them to fall back into order. The classroom was small for 85 girls, many of whom were lining the walls and squeezed together behind desks. I decided to take them outside and divide them into groups of ten. After making all the girls sit in a circle in their respective groups, I gave them one object each to draw. Moving through each group I asked the girls if they had any questions, explained the process of drawing a circular object and let them begin. Even when class ended for the day, some girls were still hunched over their papers sketching away furiously. Over the course of the week, many girls gained confidence and asked me questions about where I was from and if I was still a student.


I periodically spoke to the principal of the school to discuss the school's impact on the greater community. Such an impact assessment is especially timely, as these students are the first generation of girls being educated in Keiri Reki. While the community elders were highly supportive of our efforts with reconstruction, the school principal claimed that parents would not take an active interest in their daughters' education. The mothers were too busy taking care of their families. It was also difficult to explain to the community that sending their daughters to school and making sure they attend is not the only mark of a good education. Girl's would learn something on the computer one day and the next day it would be forgotten. This was not the parents' fault; after all, they themselves were uneducated for the most part. Rather, the system was to blame. Many times, I noticed how one operational inefficiency led to a whole chain of events. If the text book content was poor, then class became boring and girls took no interest in learning. If the class was too small, it became stifling and girls lost concentration. If the parents didn't realize the importance of finishing homework, there would be no one to tell the girls what to do once they were done for the day.


Despite these setbacks, this first week was an enlightening experience. Construction is well underway. A drainage pipe has been set up to collect rainwater in the newly constructed water tank. Nathiagali has been facing a water shortage due to a strike by the water providers, so setting up a pipe at least helps us to make the most of rainwater in case something similar happens in Keiri Reki as well. I also located some mobile phone company towers close by, which can possibly be used as internet providers. One of the many contradictions of this area: phone companies will continue to operate, but water and sanitation facilities are unreliable.


Nevertheless, I can't imagine studying in a more beautiful place.

First Day in Keiri Reki

Despite some struggles with internet connection, Nur was able to send us a full account of her first day in Keiri Reki. As she monitors the progress of construction on the school, she will also be lending a hand at the school and interacting with many students there. Here are her notes from Day #1 on site:


The drive from our home base in Nathiagali downhill to Keiri Reki took about 20 minutes. Upon entering the school, I saw that construction had moved forward rapidly (pictures forthcoming!).


I was introduced to the 7th Grade girls, to whom I would be teaching art classes in place of a teacher currently on maternity leave. Our first activity will be basic still life sketches. Though I had procured all the necessary materials for the girls, I soon realized that dividing them up and setting up the room for class would be difficult: there were 84 girls in one class--their desks lining the walls--and they were too cramped to move. I decided that, from tomorrow on, we would work outside.


The girls were enthusiastic and very polite. While I was dividing them into groups, they would sit down only when I told them to, thank me immediately, and respond to all my questions in unison. They were eager to offer suggestions of their own when asked about their visions for the school. I asked them about their favorite classes, and most responded that they liked learning English best.


After class, I had a chance to speak to some teachers, survey the construction, and explore. I was disheartened to note several examples of government inefficiency in the upkeep and operation of the school. For example, construction plans for a sink for the new bathrooms had to be altered because the government-hired night watchmen never turned up, leaving such a sink in danger of being removed or destroyed if built outside the bathrooms, as originally planned. Overall, it appeared that the students' great excitement and confidence was not being harnessed due to government disinterest; while local legislators seemed to want to ensure enrollment numbers that would look good on paper, the quality of education and upkeep of facilities had taken a backseat.


Still, on my way out, I felt very hopeful. The construction is well underway, and the school has much potential waiting for us to tap into it. I am excited to see how the school progresses.

Foundations

A few visual updates from the construction site:

The construction of six bathroom stalls and two washbasins began in late May.

The base of the underground water tank is ready for its installation.

Workers have agreed to build two storage rooms under the same construction costs. Right now, two classrooms are being used for storage purposes. Thus, the additional space should make classes less crowded.

Workers have laid the foundations of the school's new computer lab.

An Introduction to this Blog

Keiri Reki is a village just outside the town of Nathiagali in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (formerly NWFP) of Pakistan. In 2005, it was devastated by an earthquake. Five years later, its only secondary school for girls remains in ruins, without functional bathrooms or potable water.

Yet, though dilapidated, the school has not fallen into complete disuse; a resilient group of villagers and girls eager to learn have kept the school running as best they can.

This summer, join Circle of Women as we work to revitalize this school through Project Keiri Reki.

Renovation Roundup

Circle of Women’s renovation plans for the school are three-pronged:

Bathrooms: Studies indicate that, in addition to clear health and sanitation benefits, the presence of bathrooms doubles the likelihood that girls will consistently attend school. Circle of Women plans to install four bathroom chambers and one new septic tank in the school.

Drinking Water: our school in Keiri Reki is one of 45% of schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that do not have potable water for their students. We hope to provide the facility with two water tanks, one underground with 6,000-gallon capacity, and the second overhead with 600-gallon capacity.

Computer Lab: A year ago, the school received a donation of eight computers, which have since then been sitting in storage for lack of a space for (or knowledge of) their use. In response to this inefficiency, we will build a computer lab with a LAN system to facilitate the computer training of every student at the school.

Navigating the Notes

We began construction on this school in May. Over the next few months, as Project Keiri Reki continues at full speed, we will be using this blog to provide project updates, including photos, interviews, and more.

Our primary author will be Nur Ibrahim, who is on site in Nathiagali, Pakistan. A native Pakistani and rising college sophomore, Nur is an associate with Circle of Women’s base at Harvard College, and she is our primary coordinator for Project Keiri Reki. Throughout the summer, Nur will be checking in on construction and connecting us with students and teachers at the school.

We hope the comments section of this site will be an open forum for any thoughts, feedback, or questions you have regarding developments in Project Keiri Reki. Please feel free to contact us at info@circleofwomen.org for more information about who we are and what we do.

We’re excited to have you along as we move forward with this initiative!

The Circle of Women Operations Team