In April 2016, when TCF formalised an agreement with the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) under its Public School Support Programme (PSSP), 257 government primary schools across 6 districts of the province came under TCF’s management. When we took over, these schools were in an extremely poor condition – classrooms were in a dismal state, there was a dearth of furniture and basic amenities and inadequate teaching practices and high absenteeism were contributing to poor learning outcomes.
Improving education through quality interventions
We immediately got to work on improving these schools in order to deliver quality education as well as improve student enrolment. Over the years, our teams worked on inducting competent teachers and principals and providing comprehensive training to help them deliver child-centered lessons. We introduced opportunities to develop cognitive, social and emotional skills with a focus on well-being, provided remedial classes to students in need and engaged with school communities and parents to support children’s learning and development.
Rebuilding Education Infrastructure
Education infrastructure is important to support learning-conducive environments. At TCF, our education model depends on providing purpose-built schools, literacy enriched-classrooms, libraries and laboratories to facilitate meaningful learning and foster well-being of our children. However, the infrastructure and facilities of these government schools were completely inadequate for TCF to roll out its tried-and-tested education model. We undertook basic refurbishment and improvements at the schools, but due to limited resources we could not provide the school environment we wanted. Therefore, we were constantly on the lookout for opportunities to solicit funds for renovation and invest in infrastructure improvement.
In 2019, TCF partnered with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), a department of the Government of the United Kingdom for the renovation and upgrade of our Partnership Schools in Punjab. As part of this commitment, FCDO approved the restoration and building of 600 classrooms across 198 government schools in the TCF Network. Additionally, it also provided funds to construct 100 separate toilets for boys and girls. The construction work was completed in May 2021.
Through our Partnership Programme, we are continuously working towards reforming and reviving government schools across Pakistan with the goal of delivering quality education for the less privileged on a large scale.
Today, it’s heartening to see my children sit in their newly constructed, colourful classrooms. They have proper ventilation and designed with ramps and handrails to make them accessible to children with disabilities. New toilets have improved sanitation and my school is now in a much better position to enroll more students
Amna Sadaqat Principal – TCF Partnership School Lohan, Narowal
