Islamabad Knowledge City Festival: Instilling a culture of learning

We aim to promote a culture of sharing knowledge to help create a peaceful and progressive society: ministry official

ISLAMABAD: The story as told by class two students through the stroke of their brushes: Once upon a there was a newly-wed couple. They started smoking and their habit slow turned into a “deadly addiction”, and their health deteriorates. The “happy” couple reaches the hospital does not recover.

This was the story told in a project about the consequences of smoking prepared by the students of Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges at the “Islamabad Knowledge City Festival”, which started on at the Convention Centre on Friday.

The event has been organised by the Ministry of Education.

An official of the ministry said, “Through this festival and such activities we aim to promote sharing of knowledge, which will help in creating a peaceful and progressive society.”

The first of its kind five-day festival aims at promoting “a culture of sharing knowledge”. Along with officials of ministry and its related departments, a large number of students and teachers of various schools and colleges are participating in the event.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the festival was as colourful as it was bright. Tableaus were performed by the students of Roots School System and Special Schools of Islamabad Capital Territory Administration.

Asma Mohsin and Amina Liaqat, teachers of the junior section projects from the Pak-Turk School, told The Express Tribune that there were many other projects made by the children on social issues, to be displayed later in the event.

With almost 80 public and private institutions and organisations participating in the event, a creative platform has been provided to the students and teachers alike.

From media labs to environment preservation, the students with the help of their teachers had created interesting models and slideshows depicting their views.

Federal Directorate of Education Islamabad held a competition for various models employing mathematical shapes, such as circles, ovals and squares. The most interesting one was the one prepared by Islamabad Model College for Boys, in which a cricket stadium was created from scrap board and thermo pore.

The ninth graders were very enthusiastic about their project. “We really enjoyed making the stadium, the most difficult part was the circuit board but we managed it in the end,” they said.

Sehrish Talat, a teacher, said, “From an educational point of view the festival is revolutionary. We have learnt a lot and it has given us a platform to understand what students enjoy doing and how to reach out to them in a better way.”

Zulfiqar, also a teacher, said, “Providing a platform to teachers and students, the festival is the way forward to foster a knowledge-based environment which promotes peace and harmony.”

The fifth graders of Shaheen School System, with the help of their teachers, had created a life-sized model highlighting the dangers to dolphins in Pakistan.

Al-Noor Faiz, a fellow fifth grader very confidently described the perils that the endangered species faced. Furthermore, Islamabad Model College for Boys had set up a media lab demonstrating the newly-donated laptops for in-class presentations.

The Center of Excellence in Marine Biology Karachi and Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges also hosted their stalls at the event.

Arfa Khan, of Federal College for Education, wearing a Kochi Kameez, a traditional outfit from Balochistan, said, “I want to show the guests what my culture is all about and it is really fun walking around in a different outfit and have everyone look at you with curiosity.”

Meanwhile, the second graders from The City School had a “good time” luring guests to their stall and asking them to make sentences with them. The seven-year-old boys and girls enjoyed not being in class. It was like a picnic for them, seeing other stalls and playing around.

“No one wants to make sentences with us but we are still having a lot of fun. I won a puzzle and my friends and I did a skeleton dance,” said Momina Ayaz Khan.

Speaking at the occasion, Federal Minister for Education Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali said, “It is for the first time that we are celebrating knowledge, on which progress of any country is dependent.”

Asseff was of the view that nations could only progress through education.

“It is very unfortunate that Pakistan is lagging behind in the field of education even after 64 years of its establishment,” he said.

Furthermore, Executive Director National Book Foundation and the co-ordinator of the event Mazharul Islam told The Express Tribune that it was an unforgettable moment for him to see the students from different schools and colleges gathered under one roof, to benefit from each other’s knowledge.

He said that the festival featured around 117 stalls carrying books and documentaries on vehicles, electrical wiring, dress-making, computer hardware and auto mechanics, handicrafts and health-related material.

National Book Foundation, Federal Directorate of Education, National Library of Pakistan, National Institute of Science and Technical Education, Unesco, USAID, Urdu Science Board, Curriculum Wing and Ministry of Health also set up their stalls and organised different activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2011.