- Documenting the struggle of an IT engineer for educating underprivileged
While most of us are busy in achieving our dreams, there are others who have dedicated their present for the future of less privileged children, a social entrepreneur and an IT expert Zulqarnain Jameel is one such individual. He is the mastermind behind the ‘Tent School System’ which is established in a slum located in H-11, Islamabad.
The Tent School System ‘Ab har bacha school jayega’ is a youth-driven initiative to educate underprivileged kids with the aim to produce leaders of tomorrow.
The school currently has 40 plus students between the ages of 3 to 12, who are being provided with the technology-based education run by volunteers.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Zulqarnain Jameel, founder of the school system and Ericsson Innovation Awards winner, said that since there is no government school in the slum areas, so he decided to set up school so as to provide equal education opportunity to the unprivileged children of the areas.
“We have designed the Tent School System to meet the need of underprivileged children. We believe that all children should have the opportunity to learn, experiment, express themselves and be creative in ways that inspire them to keep learning,” said Zulqarnain Jameel.
“With this, I see Pakistan’s future is very bright; however there is a need for educational reforms, which are possible through technology interventions,” he added.
Aalia Khan Yousafzai, who is currently teaching at the school, said that having an opportunity to teach these brilliant kids, who have a passion for learning, is a wonderful experience. I am really excited to plan future lessons for them.
Aalia’s sister, Samya Khan Yousafzai, who is also teaching at the school, said that “I was delighted when I was given an opportunity to volunteer at the Tent School as I am passionate about teaching. The experience was refreshing and enjoyable because kids look forward to learning more.”
A student, Majid Khan, said that he has four siblings and his father runs a donkey cart in a local market for transporting vegetables and fruits.
“I like studying in this school because teachers here don’t resort to corporal punishment unlike other schools,” he added.
Zulqarnain said that they had set three schools in Islamabad but two were bulldozed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) during an operation against Kachi Abadi.
Almost 22 million children are out of school in Pakistan. The huge number of drop-out children is due to a high cost of education. In Pakistan, where poverty is increasing day by day, education is considered as a privilege.
He said that the current education system of Pakistan encourages root learning which needs to be changed by giving due importance to learning and problem solving rather than simply memorising and reproducing. The Tent School Team members are from different cultures and backgrounds which give them a slight edge in bridging the cultural and social barriers.
There is no compromise on the quality of education as the teachers use modern technology, including computers, to facilitate the child’s learning.
The Tent School System serves as a blessing for the underprivileged slums of the country where the parents don’t have adequate resources to send their children to schools and afford their fees. This initiative of Tent Schools gives them the opportunity to get a high-quality education at an affordable price.
