where the students manage their studies in accordance with their work schedules. The center does not only focus on the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills but also on arts, play and music which are some of the simple pleasures of childhood.
“The children are very enthusiastic about coming here to learn,” one of the teachers who taught the first grade in the center. ‘Even though the children have to go for work, they try their best to balance their work and their study’, she smiled.
The community of Shershah appreciates the efforts that have been undertaken to set the CDC in the area. They are delighted that along with supporting their families they are also getting a chance to acquire education which is otherwise impossible to cater for in their meager income. The center is not only serving merely as a school to learn literacy and numeracy skills but regular health visits are also arranged so as to arouse awareness of the essentials of health. This has aroused consciousness in the community about cleanliness in the area.
‘I love studying English’, remarked the shy Rubina. ‘My teacher is very helpful and friendly. I like studying under her’, she replied with a smile. It is very encouraging to see that girls have an equal participation along with boys. ‘I have to clean my house and look after my younger brother’, replied Khadija when asked whether she works somewhere. Young Khadija is a bright student studying in the first grade who is barely seven years of age.
The center also believes in not just limiting education merely to the acquisition of requisite academic skills but to nurture the aesthetic skills of the students. The center has a well furnished media room in which children are shown educational cartoons and movies. Regular parent teacher visits are also scheduled in the center so that parents are also apprised of their child’s performance in the classroom. Children are also encouraged to participate to present their skills in parties as in the Eid Milan parties held lately at the center.
Overall, the center has been a source of joy for students who are studying in the center. CDC is a right step in the direction of providing education as well as recreational facilities to about 300 students living in the vicinity of Shershah
