To enable girls and boys to fulfil their right to education, UNICEF, with funding from the Norwegian Committee, supports various Alternative Learning Programmes across Pakistan, including more than 200 in Punjab. These programmes give children who dropped out, or have never been to school, a chance to learn. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Department of Punjab.

Helping girls and boys complete primary education

The Rehmat Niazi Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) Centre where Sunaina has been studying for a year is located in Bhatta Colony, a very poor neighbourhood in the city of Rahim Yar Khan in the Punjab province. The word Bhatta, which means ‘brick kiln’ (furnace) in Urdu, is a useful reminder that most people here are workers who often eke out a living making bricks in the local kilns.

Hidden at the end of a maze of narrow, muddy paths, the centre is the only learning facility for children in the area. It runs three AEP sessions simultaneously to accommodate as many students aged 5-13 as possible in the community, one of them funded by the Norwegian Committee for UNICEF.

The centre also offers Early Childhood Education (ECE) to the younger children, using specifically designed education kits provided by UNICEF.

The ECE teacher, 28-year-old Fareeha Namreen, writes the names of various animals on the whiteboard in English, before asking students to read them aloud and translate them into Urdu, the language they speak at home. She uses stuffed animals which are part of the kit to help the children remember, in line with the ‘Learning Through Play’ approach used for ECE.

Play is a powerful way to learn, which builds children’s curiosity and self-esteem. In the imaginary world of play, children can experiment without fear of failure. ECE helps create a better learning environment in schools. It also offers teachers with opportunities to engage with young children, helping enrol more children in the centre and preventing them from dropping out.