Overwhelming us totally, the beginning of 2009 has brought a spate of requests which we will attempt to fulfil in good time. Given our penchant for providing quality services and not rushing into the “numbers game” we have asked our stakeholders to wait if they can … here is a sampling of the requests:
Starting on 30 December 2008, Mr. Wahid Maskatiya visited TRC with a request for training primary teachers of the schools managed by the Maskatiya Charitable Trust. He expressed a keen interest in a long-term relationship with TRC. We advised him to begin training at the pre-primary level. Details will soon be worked out; meanwhile the Trust has become a TRC member.

The new year was ushered in by a visit from M.A. International Immigration and Education Consultants. On January 01, 2009 representatives from the above-mentioned Consultant company visited TRC, to explore the possibilities of a series of collaborative teacher-training programmes, involving foreign trainers who would be hired by the Consultants to conduct workshops in Pakistan. We asked them to contact us once the faculty was onboard.

A request from Namla Kerai of  Tehreek-e-Falah, was received for a workshop on “Teaching Urdu with the help of Resources” for early years teachers of a school located in Lyari. This workshop has been scheduled for 8 and 9 April 2009.

A request was received from The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) for advice and collaboration in beginning their school outreach programme in public sector schools. Several meetings have already been held to orient them in working successfully with government schools. The new social studies and history curricula was shared, so that CAP staff can begin to develop lesson plans which will be in sync with the Ministry’s objectives. We will soon begin to identify schools for them. Meanwhile, we are helping them to reach out to our member schools and to government schools for the Shanaakht Festival scheduled for April.

The Director Education, Defence Authority Schools, visited TRC and expressed keen interest in staff development opportunities for the teachers of all the DHA schools. A detailed discussion on the various training options available was held. The DHA schools have become members of TRC and training is likely to commence during the summer vacations.

The management of Saleem Nawaz Fazaia College, Masroor has expressed the need for their own team of teacher trainers. They have requested TRC to identify and train teachers from their existing staff, who would then take on the responsibility of training  and evaluating all staff members of the school. This training has been tentatively scheduled for the last week of July 2009.

The principal of the Ghulaman-e-Abbas School expressed an interest in TRC trainers visiting the Early Years section of the school, and conducting a needs’ analysis to identify areas for improvement. We have agreed that we will visit the school end March and suggest a course of action.

Queries were received from the Shahwilayat Trust regarding details about ECE training opportunities available at TRC for the Amroha Community. We have suggested that they register two participants in the TRC-Institute of ECE’s, Early Childhood Education Certificate programme 2009-2010.

Reflections Personalized Education approached TRC for an evaluation of the English and Mathematics syllabus being taught in their school. The focus of the study would be on the planning, teaching and learning being carried out in those subject areas. We are waiting to meet with members of their Board who wish to personally discuss details.

Mr. Javed Jabbar contacted TRC on behalf of the Alumni of the FG Schools located in the Cantonment area, and shared his concerns about the ‘standard of education’ in the school. He inquired about the role TRC could play in providing training and support to the teaching staff of the schools, in an effort to return it to its old glory.

Representatives from the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights (CMPHR) visited us to request permission to use the TRC premises for a workshop to be conducted by their own resource person. Given our long association with HREP and collaborative work undertaken in the past, we readily agreed to their request.