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Peshawar, November 13, 2012 (PPI-OT): Parents, teachers, and students of a community in Lower Dir have combined their talents and abilities with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to completely renovate the GHS Khazana Tehsil Munda School from top to bottom.
The GHS Khazana Tehsil Munda School was originally constructed in 1968, and had fallen into disrepair. The school did not have a single working washroom and students walked a mud path to the front door. In September 2011, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Education identified the school as a priority to be renovated.
Mr. Fazal Iqbal, Head Teacher, mobilized the Parent Teacher Community (PTC) to assess the needs of the school, which was determined to need total reconstruction. At the very next School Management Committee meeting, the community collected Rs.27,000 in cash, an amount which grew rapidly with more community donations. The PTC also contributed approximately Rs.300,000 and USAID contributed additional funds.
Resources in hand, the community rolled up its sleeves and got to work: they repaired 20 classrooms, built two new washrooms, replaced the mud path leading to the school with a stone path and purchased more than 300 desks and chairs for the students. USAID and local school officials installed libraries in the classrooms and stocked the science laboratory with basic equipment such as beakers, test tubes, Bunsen burners, and microscopes.
Students and teachers were also equipped with critical tools. Each student received a school bag filled with books, a calculator, pencils, and paper, and each teacher received a package of classroom equipment such as dictionaries, stationery, and office supplies. Teachers were provided essential training focused on the key areas of science, mathematics, English and computer technology.
These improvements enhanced the learning environment by making the school safer and better equipped for students. Head Teacher Iqbal said, “USAID’s intervention at GHS Khazana made it possible for the community to realize its strengths. We are confident that from now on, the school will have the community’s support whenever it needs it.
After seeing USAID’s interest in rehabilitating the school, the PTC and general community has started exercising more ownership of the school with the promise of sustaining these efforts.” Together, the U.S. and Pakistan have made it possible for this school to unlock the potential of every child and help them rise as far as their hard work and initiative will take them.
For more information, contact:
Public Affairs Section
Embassy of the United States of America
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +9251-208 0000
Fax: +9251-227 8607
E-mail: webmasterisb@state.gov