Montessori education: With a tree, Szabist graduates sow the seeds for children from poor neighbourhoods

The children are prepared for admissions in reputed private schools.

KARACHI: For 24-year-old Ayesha, the prospect of having her toddler study at a Montessori, which would give her the golden ticket to a reputable private school, was delightful. But what was equally exciting was that she would be trained too.

“I am learning English, and hopefully, soon I will be able to find a decent job,” said the single mother enthusiastically as she sat crossed-legged in a small room.

Another parent from Lyari, Seema Altaf, was sitting nearby and jumped into the conversation. “These self-grooming and basic English classes are giving us the confidence and teaching us how to talk and behave,” she said. “We want to be role models for our children and earn and support our husbands.”

Both women were present at Orange Tree, a Montessori for underprivileged children, opened by a group of recent graduates of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University of Technology (Szabist) in DHA’s Khadda market.

The seven volunteers, who are also part of a student organisation called Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm, were inspired by the Kiran School in Lyari, which trains children for admission to private schools and sponsors their education. They plan to run their Montessori on the same pattern.

The students mostly come from Lyari, Orangi, Korangi and Azam Basti. The parents only have to pay Rs300 per month, but the Montessori does not use it. Instead, it is saved in their school accounts to be used if the need arises. Till then the cost of education is covered by the sponsors of the school. Even after the children get admission to private schools the sponsors will continue to pay for their education, explained Arfa Hasnain.

“We wanted to help those children who otherwise won’t get a chance to study in good schools,” she said as she sang a nursery rhyme to the children. “We hope to bring a change to their lives.”

The first batch has 12 toddlers who are being prepared for admission to schools such as St Michael’s, HeadStart, DA Public School.

The criteria for selection were also similar to that followed at Kiran School. Firstborns are preferred, the father should earn between Rs10,000 and Rs20,000, and the mother has to accompany her child every time to school.

Sabah Paracha, one of the volunteers and the parent trainer, stressed on how important it was that the mothers are taught to be polite. “Our aim is not only to educate the children but also their mothers so they can provide a good environment at home,” she said.

Two-year-old Afham scribbled with pencils in a colourful room in which stuffed toys, building blocks and stencils were scattered around. The toddler, in a blue sweater, nodded his head to communicate that he liked it there.

Meanwhile, in the playroom, three-year-old Aiman, dressed in a pink coat and hat, shyly admitted, “I like to play with her,” she said referring to a stuffed doll she held in her hands.

“What these kids are doing for us is great,” said a mother referring to the Szabist students. “We have no blood relation with them but they are still helping us.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.