FLAME Schools

FLAME schools follow a Non-Formal Basic Education where schools are multi-grade institutions which provide primary education to children between the ages of 4- 14 years. This system is unique in that it is designed to circumvent those constraints that had previously kept these children out of schools. These schools do not have any age restriction in any class therefore if a child of nine years has never been to school; they are able to start at Class 1. Another advantage of FLAME schools is that they are located within the neighborhood, generally in the homes of the teachers. This is a great advantage since it gives parents the security to send their children, and particularly girls, to school. It is for this reason that over 65% of the students at FLAME schools are girls.

Teachers of these schools are generally educated women of the community who are given support by FLAME to open these one-room schools in their neighborhood, generally in their own homes. FLAME provides them with the books/stationary, curriculum, blackboards, fans, water coolers, tarpaulin and floor mats. FLAME teachers are given a short training course about how to teach in the non-formal system before they start teaching and then once a year, they are given an intensive refresher training course, which is held during the summer holidays by a third party organization that specializes in teacher training.

Quality of education is a top priority at FLAME schools and it is for this reason that the students follow the same curriculum as those that study in the formal government system. This allows our children to integrate into the formal educational system at any stage during their academic training since they will appear in the same exams as the other children. There is also a three-tier system of monitoring to ensure the quality of the education at FLAME schools. Each school is visited by a field coordinator once every 10 days in which the coordinator interacts with the teacher to ensure that her needs are being met in terms of supplies. Also, the field coordinator gets an update on school attendance, progress on the course as well as any problems that she may be facing in the school. The MHU with its team of 6 doctors also visits these schools every 12 weeks, which serves the purpose of monitoring as well since they are able to observe which schools are operating effectively and which are not. The Chairman, along with members of the Executive Committee, also makes periodic visits to the FLAME schools. The Chairman also holds monthly meetings with the FLAME teachers which give them the opportunity to address problems and concerns directly to the management of FLAME as well as allows them to relate their achievements. This is an important feature in that it allows the teachers to network with each other as well as gives them an academic structure, in this otherwise flexible educational model.

As of now, FLAME has established 130 NFBE schools in Karachi and interior Sindh and managed 50 government schools in Islamabad. These more then 150 schools have over 6500 children. Some 300 children of the schools in Islamabad, which started earlier, have passed the Class 5 Board exams while 4000 children of schools in Sindh have passed their respective annual examinations and have been promoted to the next class.

Mobile Health Services

FLAME's second priority is ensuring the provision of basic health services to the children studying in its schools. Due to the poor living conditions of the people living in these low income settlements, the people, and particularly the children of the area, are constantly suffering from common ailments like stomach infections, worms, skin conditions like scabies as well as upper respitory ailments and urinary tract infections. In Sept 2003, FLAME started its first Mobile Health Unit (MHU) for its schools in Islamabad. It comprises of two female doctors, some basic instruments and a bag of medicines and visits one school each day, 5 days a week, where it sees 30-40 children of that school and gives them free medicines for common ailments and for serious illnesses refers them to hospitals. We have made our health model as cost effective as possible. Our total expenditure on Islamabad MHU, which visits each school four times a year and provides basic healthcare to1,500 children, comes to Rs 30,000 per month which translates into Rs 60 or one dollar per child per visit.

In March 2006, FLAME launched its first MHU for its 80 schools in Karachi. Here, because of the long distances, 5 lady doctors with 5 bags of medicines and essential equipments travel in a van to one area every week where they visit 5 schools and provide basic healthcare to about 175 to 200 children. However, since these 5 doctors are unable to complete 12 weeks cycle of visits to each school, FLAME is in the process of increasing the number of doctors to 7, as soon as arrangements can be made to get a larger van than the 5-seater that is currently being used. Presently we are spending Rs.40,000 per month or Rs 4,80,000 per year on about 2,800 children. Thus the cost per child per visit comes to less than 45 rupees.

The MHU serves many purposes; 1) motivates parents to send children to school rather than to work to supplement family income, 2) improves the health condition of students, an intrinsic need, 3) hygiene lessons/talks to children by doctor create awareness on how to prevent common problems 4) provides basic healthcare to the teachers and even their family members which motivates them to work harder, 5) parents also imbibe good hygiene habits from their children.

Skills Training Centres

Another priority for FLAME is to establish skills training centres in the localities of its schools to ensure that the students, upon completion of primary education, will have the opportunity to learn a marketable skill, a very necessary step to ensure that they can acquire a skill that will allow them to earn a living for their family as well as become productive members of society. There is a need to have at least one vocational training centre for boys and one for girls in the vicinity of FLAME schools.

In terms of the marketable skills in demand for girls, they range from sewing, beautician training and computer/administrative skills. For the boys training centres, the skills in demand range from carpentry, plumbing, administrative skills and car/home/office electrician. A six-month course in any of these skills is sufficient to equip these students with a thorough knowledge of this field, allowing them to find jobs in the surrounding areas. It is necessary for these students to have, in addition to the ability to read and write and do basic math which they have learned in primary school, a skill with which to earn a living. The presence of these vocational training centres in the local areas will also serve as an incentive for youth, giving them the opportunity to create a better future for themselves and acquire a level of independence.

FLAME has established one vocational training centre for girls in Baldia Town and one vocational training centre in Islamabad. We are currently in the process of raising funds for this activity in order to set-up other similar centres in Landhi and Baldia for boys and girls since there is an urgent need as well as a great demand for such centres in these areas.

Qamar-ul-Islam school

At the request of the deputy Nazim of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Mrs. Nasreen Jalil we adopted the “Qamar-ul-Islam Government Boys and Girls Primary and Secondary School”, Punjab Colony Shara-e-Jamin (near Submarine Chowk) Clifton, Karachi. This school has 700 girls and boys from Class I to matriculation studying in two shifts. It is located on one of the main traffic arteries of Karachi and is right adjacent to a big cricket ground.

The CDGK wanted FLAME to improve its physical condition and educational standard. Unfortunately we found the school in much more rundown and dilapidated condition than anticipated by us. Nevertheless, in keeping with FLAME’s philosophy neither to break the commitment made nor to be daunted by the challenges faced, we got going. Apart from the difficult task of raising about Rs. 4 million (USD 55,555/£ 29,200) in a short period, the other challenge was to finish the work in less than 6 weeks, before the reopening of the school after summer holidays on 4th August.

We are happy to inform you that the complete renovation of the entire school building including a new water tank, a new 250 seat auditorium with a large stage, a new class room, a new biology lab, a new 10 computer lab and library, 3 new UPS for 3 floors, repair and renovation of approximately 250 class room students desks (please see the details in the attached diagram and the cost of repair work)

Our objective is not only to improve the physical condition of the school but to bring about a mental change among the teacher and students create a new educational environment and enhance the standard of education to the level of the best private schools in Karachi. We also plan to introduce such extracurricular activities as debate, literary competition, plays and dramas, mind games, indoor sports etc

The condition of the school in which we found it can be seen in the pictures given below.

Condition at the time of take over

Boundary wall of the schools

Broken down classroom furniture

Broken switch board and switches

Classroom fan twisted by students during load shedding

Red Beatle nut stains in different corners of the classrooms

Corner of the stairs eroded due to rain

Broken down sink

Cupboard ruined because of rust and rain

Work in Progress

Classes commence

Brand new sinks in the bathroom

                              

New Cupboards