May 2009 | My Trip to My Partner Classroom
The Extraordinary Khanott School
by Nadia TareenOn December 26, 2008, I visited an extraordinary school. I started the Baldwin School’s Girls Learn International (GLI) chapter in September 2007, and though I, along with my chapter’s twenty members and faculty advisor Dara Solotoff, had already communicated with the fifth and sixth grade students of this school through Cultural Exchange Projects before my trip to my chapter’s Partner Classroom, my journey to the Khanote Village on that December day in Pakistan opened my eyes. I met amazing teachers and students, and learned how happy the girls of our Partner Classroom are to be receiving a high quality education. The Khanote village felt like a world away from the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA. The environment of the school and village was even different from my family’s home in Karachi, Pakistan. Nonetheless, my experience at the Khanote School was invaluable and I greatly enjoyed meeting the students of my Partner Classroom.
You can read more about Nadia’s trip right here.
You can also view a video of Nadia’s trip to the Khanott School below:
Part I
Part 2
Part 3
Apr 2009 | Project Pakistan
A Modern Day Pen Pal Program
A modern day pen pal program has been set up in partnership with Kashmir Family Aid, between the Redmond School District and The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Oregon, and the Nilore Model School in Pakistan.
“Project Pakistan” corresponds with ibtida’s objectives of training the students to grow up as tolerant global citizens responsible for the well being of others and the survival of the planet.
The program was made possible by a $1,500 grant from Deschutes County to update the computer lab at the Nilore Model School. “(This program) is very useful for us and our students,” Iram Raja, a teacher at the school, wrote in an e-mail. “This thing creates a passion for research in them and your work for the betterment of the rural areas and specially for the poor people is really appreciated. It is a very good chance for those students who think that study is only about reading books. They could know the importance of education.”
You can learn more about Project Pakistan right here.
Mar 2009 | A Science Lab for Nilore Model School
Ibtida, in conjunction with the Association for Development of Pakistan, a Boston-based non-profit organization, established a science lab in Nilore Model School.
The science lab is being used for teaching Physics, Chemistry and Biology experiments to students in Grades 6-10. Experiments are tailored specifically for the appropriate grade level and are supplemented with other experiments not included in the current science curriculum.
Setting up a science lab at Nilore Model School is crucial in promoting concept-based science learning, which takes students away from rote-memorization, prevalent in schools without science labs.
You can watch a video of the class 9th students conducting an experiment below.
