TRC News

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should be open all year round with multiple short breaks, and cast your vote by the end of August 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our July 2016 poll was about whether university education should be free:

University education should be free because by facilitating higher education, governments invest in a highly educated and skilled workforce which will benefit a country’s economy.

• I agree. A country advances when its best and brightest are provided the opportunity to rise to the top. High fees will prevent talented individuals from gaining higher education and reaching their full potential. (83%, 33 Votes)

• I disagree. The cost of higher education to the state is too high to sustain free university education. The government should focus on funding essential services, and higher education is not such a service. (18%, 7 Votes)

The majority of respondents (83%) to the opinion poll believe that university education should be free. They believe that a country can only advance and prosper when its best talent is allowed to rise to the top unhindered by the burden of high fees for higher education. On the other hand, only 18% of the respondents believe that the government should not fund higher education, because this is not sustainable. These respondents believe that the government should focus on funding essential services instead.

During this quarter, TRC successfully completed two training sessions. The first was with the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) and their Master Trainers on the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (NCECE) and the other was with AZAT Foundation, training primary school teachers in Baluchistan on Experiential Learning and Critical Thinking. Both training sessions were highly interactive and engaged all the participants and trainers.

We wish the batch of 2015-2016 all the best in applying what they have learnt at TRC.

TRC Trending…

TRC is on Facebook! This is where we share ideas, tips and news with our online teaching community. It is a space to learn new ideas, share experiences and stay informed about all the latest happenings at TRC.

Dear Readers,

We are sorry for the delay in posting our new opinion poll, which was held up due to problems with our website which made it difficult to cast votes and also due to the Eid break. Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether university education should be free, and cast your vote by the end of July 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our April 2016 poll was about communication between parents and teachers:

Parents and teachers should be frequently in touch so that parents have a clearer picture of what is happening in school. This will enable them to better support their children.

• I agree. When children know that parents are in touch with teachers, their performance improves and they tend to be more truthful about school. (76%, 38 Votes)

• I disagree. Frequent communication can make children so accustomed to their lives being steered by their parents and teachers, that they can fall apart when left on their own. (24%, 12 Votes)

The result shows that the overwhelming majority of respondents (76%) believe that when parents and teachers are in touch, children’s performance in school improves. They believe that children are compelled to be more responsible and truthful about school when their parents and teachers communicate. On the other hand only 24% of the respondents believe that frequent communication between parents and teachers is not necessary, because they believe it makes children too accustomed to monitoring and as a result they fall apart if left on their own.

TRC’s Thinking Classroom Project has been a major success. In this quarter, a seminar was held to conclude the second phase of the project which is being implemented with support from Open Society Foundation (OSF). The seminar was very successful, and saw stakeholders and participants share their experiences and thoughts on the project thus far. They also expressed interest in staying associated with the project in future.

This quarter TRC also held its first major book sale. Teachers, school heads and parents came to TRC and acquired books from our wide variety of educational books for their classrooms and homes. TRC’s Senior Manager (ECE Programme), Noshin Khan attended two major international educational events in Costa Rica and Toronto. Noshin’s presentations on TRC and its work were extremely well received and helped put our organization on the world map, with international organizations keen to work with us.

TRC Trending…

TRC is on Facebook! This is where we share ideas, tips and news with our online teaching community. It is a space to learn new ideas, share experiences and stay informed about all the latest happenings at TRC.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on Parent-Teacher communication, and cast your vote by the end of April 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our March 2016 poll was about whether schools should mete out harsh punishments:

School should not mete out harsh punishment to students because the only thing severe consequences reinforce, is a culture of fear.

• I agree. Punishments cause a lot of distress and confusion and are not likely to get children to analyse their behavior. (84%, 42 Votes)

• I disagree. It is necessary to punish students in order to instill discipline. The real world is about living by rules and without serious consequences many students would not follow the law.(16%, 8 Votes)


The majority (84%) of the voters believe that schools should not mete out harsh punishments because they are distressing and confusing. They believe that punishments reinforce a culture of fear and children do not analyse their behavior even after they are punished. On the other hand 16% of the respondents believe that punishments and consequences as a result of breaking rules are part and parcel of the real world and so schools should punish students in order to instill discipline.

Dear All,

Greetings and a happy second term academic session!

In response to the Global Digital Technologies innovation, TRC is looking forward to offer workshops and training courses for teachers based on ‘Teaching and Learning with Digital Technologies’. Through the use of specific digital tools schools can enhance constructivist learning and help students to develop 21st century skills like critical thinking, reasoning, visualizing, creativity and decision making. Digital technologies are making dynamic changes in society. They are influencing all aspects of life, the effects of which are felt more and more at schools because these technologies provide both students and teachers with more opportunities in adapting learning and teaching to individual needs.

To make it a success, TRC is conducting a survey so that workshops and training courses are designed as per schools’ needs. We will be grateful if you takeout sometime from your busy schedule to fill this online form by Tuesday, March 15, 2016.

Please click the link below to fill the online survey form:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GQK2LPF

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to hear from you to welcome this new initiative.

Note: For concerns and queries; please feel free to contact us at: (021) 3539-4059, 3539-2976.

Best,
The TRC Team

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on harsh punishments in schools, and cast your vote by the end of March 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our February 2016 poll was about whether small schools are better than large schools:

Small schools are better than large schools, because they are easier to manage and also offer a safer environment.

• I agree. Small schools are flexible and responsive. They provide one-on-one attention and there is also increased participation in extracurricular activities. (80%, 35 Votes)

• I disagree. Large schools are better because they have substantial financial advantages. They offer larger facilities and their students work harder, because of increased competition. (20%, 9 Votes)

A large majority of the respondents (80%) believe that small schools are better than large schools as they are not only more manageable, but are also more responsive to children’s needs.  They feel that such an environment allows more individual attention to students. On the other hand only 20% of the respondents voted in favour of large schools, where they feel that students work harder due to increased competition.

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether small schools are better than large schools, and cast your vote by the end of February 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our January 2016 poll was about whether television can be used to develop children’s minds:

Television is a window to the world and is a useful tool which can be used to develop children’s minds.

• I agree. Television helps children gain knowledge of current affairs and the world around them. It also helps children build language skills. (60%, 28 Votes)

• I disagree. Children usually don’t watch educational programmes on TV. Instead they prefer junk TV which reduces attention spans and exposes children to inappropriate messages. (40%, 19 Votes)

The result for this poll was a clear 40/60 split with the majority of the respondents agreeing that television is a useful tool for education and knowledge, provided it is used for that purpose.
Significantly a substantial minority (40%) believes that TV is rarely if ever watched for educational purposes, hence its value as an educational tool remains questionable. Do you agree with this result?

TRC’s 29th Annual Report published.

Download Annual Report

As part of the Thinking Classroom Project, the capacity building phase of public sector master trainers was launched and at least 180 master trainers from different parts of the country benefitted from the training. A series of events to promote critical thinking, including story telling sessions, art workshops and musical performances, was organised by TRC for children from both public and private schools. The 9th batch of ECE-CP graduated in a poised ceremony which took place at TRC Office and the 10th batch was ushered in. To boost enrollment in the ECE-CP, an orientation session was organised to raise awareness about the programme and it’s benefits for those seeking professional excellence in early years education.

TRC Trending…

TRC is on Facebook! Where we share ideas, tips and informative news for our online teaching community. It is a space to learn new ideas, share experiences and be informed of all the latest happenings at TRC.