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Girls fight for better Education
Monika Girls High School & College Bagrot Valley (Pakistan), 2013
The School Students289 pupils attend the school from kindergarden class to 10th grade. Parents in Bagrot have been demanding more government education in the valley for years due to the poor security situation in Gilgit, the central location for continuing education such as secondary and college education. In recent years, individual students from other villages have switched to high school in Datuchi because of the quality of the lessons, despite the long walk. In a neighboring village, the main students strugle since two years for regular and good lessons. For this they even went to the street. Now, the 9th grade (25 students) has drawn conclusions and shifted to Monika Girls High School in the village of Datuchi.
The College Students65 students attend the three college classes. College education was extended to the 3rd year (13th grade) in September. Two new teachers have been hired and 25 students have enrolled. For the establishment of a 14th grade is still missing an appropriately qualified teachers. The application for registration with the competent authority also had to be postponed until the necessary conditions could be met. An extensive equipment with teaching materials and appropriate premises such as a laboratory for the chemistry class are among them.
The Teachers14 donor-funded teachers teach girls' school and colleges' classes, and a total of 13 lower-level government teachers. We have decided on a pay increase for the donor-funded teachers with retrospective effect from July 2013. The salaries of government employees had also been raised in July. For the current school year, the costs for the teachers to be financed from donations total 12,500 €.
New chairs and a computer roomFor the third college class more chairs and teaching materials had to be purchased. Thanks to additional donations, a new classroom was built last year. Here a computer room is set up. In summer, the school board has carried out the public tender for the equipment and has now been awarded the contract. The facility should be done in the coming months.
Volunteers wanted for English lessonsIn June, a retired British teacher couple visited the valley for five weeks, teaching teachers and students of BASE Public School Bagrot in English. This initiative was very gratefully accepted. The volunteer work came about at the suggestion of the CEO of Red Spokes, an organizer of exceptional cycling travel. Dermot MacWard had already set up a small sewing school for women in Chirah, the farthest village in the Bagrot valley, two years ago with the help of donations from his cycle tourists. The admirable initiative of the British couple urgently seeks imitators. Many students and the teachers are very interested in an English intensive course. Here Ruth and Tim Dunsby talk about their experiences in Bagrot: http://www.lvcf.co.uk/documents/The Bagrote Valley1.pdf
Promoting disadvantaged childrenSince January 2013, hearing impaired children have been taught, i.a. in the sign language. The young teacher, who is deaf herself and went to school in Karachi, is, according to unanimous opinion, very competent in teaching. She receives great recognition from the children and parents. She is still teaching the small group of different ages in a private room, which she has lovingly furnished as a classroom. The goal is the move to the school grounds of a regular school in the middle of the valley. So far, the small school blooms largely unnoticed by the public. A move to the school grounds would be a big step towards more publicity and integration. The new initiative is decisively supported by the vocational training school of Heinrich-Haus gGmbH in Neuwied. The young teacher now keeps in touch with her friends inside and outside the valley by text message, because today they all can read and write.
Fund Raisers in 2013
I thank everyone involved for their dedication and support! The students of the Monika Girls High School, their parents and the teachers send heartfelt greetings and a many-voiced Thank You.
Kind Regards from Hamburg!
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