Environment Girl from Multan

Born in Multan in 1987, Rafia Saleem started to raise her voice against the menace of environmental degradation at the tender age of 15. Besides contributing regularly on environmental issues to Dawn Young World, she got keenly active in numerous environmental initiatives such as lectures and distribution of informative material in educational institutions. Her answers to some of our queries follow:

Q: What specifically have you done about environment conservation?

I presented my first research paper titled “Water & Youth” in SAWAF-2 (Second South Asia Water Forum) in Islamabad in 2002. I was declared the youngest presenter ever. In recognition and appreciation of my research paper, an American NGO Action for Nature awarded me the Young Eco-Hero Award in international category in 2003.

I was also the first one to highlight the problem of contaminated drinking water tanks in the educational institutions of Multan which were erected years ago but rarely cleaned or disinfected. I drew attention to the water pumps which had been installed many years ago but not maintained regularly. Two such water samples on being tested from Public Analyst and Environment Laboratory, Islamabad were declared “unfit for human consumption” as they contained coliform bacteria in large numbers. I drew attention of the authorities to this problem and obtained press coverage and this resulted in a number of directives from the authorities concerned that helped improve the situation.

Feeling that the root-cause of all environmental problems was the lack of environmental awareness amongst the masses especially children and youth, I produced an illustrated environmental booklet titled ABC of Environment that won many a laurels from relevant bodies. I received a prize in the National Book Foundation Promotion of Children’s Literature scheme on national level. I have produced some creative environmental awareness material in the form of bookmarks, greeting cards and pamphlets, and have also organized environmental education platforms.

My second research paper “Environmental Education” got selected for poster presentation at the First International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESDev-05) at Abbottabad in 2005.

In the same year, I was selected for the Presidential Award Aizaz-i-Sabquat in recognition of her educational and innovative excellence. In 2006, I was featured in the Students Profile of Wyland Foundation’s Ocean Challenge, a series that educates children about the protection of natural habitats. I was chosen for the Star Laureate 2006 award from South Asia Publications in 2006 in recognition of my contribution to environment.

On the local scene I am proud to have contested in the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court the issue and situation of a filth depot close to a girls’ school. The appeal resulted in court order to place a hygienically fit container on the spot and improvement in sanitary conditions.

I received the Fatima Jinnah Memorial Gold Medal in 2008 for my continued efforts in the field of social advocacy.

My efforts focused on dissemination of environmental consciousness through my writings, initiatives and activism. I think all of my contributions towards environmental education, research, activism and advocacy are important as they aimed at bringing this grave issue into youth’s spotlight.
Who has played the main supportive role in your life, and how? 

My family has always been there by my side. My parents supported me a lot in my educational, professional and co-curricular activities.

How have your priorities in life been changing over the years? 

Yes, they changed over the years. My focus shifted from newspaper to research papers and then to the material development. Activism became more important at later points. On personal and professional front also, things changed a lot when I started truly identifying with my mission.    

What was the most important point of focus in your life? 

Social service and good to humanity was and remains to be the most important point of focus for me. Environmental advocacy and activism is one way I demonstrate it.

How do you see yourself 10 years, 20 years from now?

I might be acting as an ardent eco activist, writing a couple of more books for children and researching on law and accounts with some consultancy firm.

Rafia is currently presenting an awareness segment on environment and climate change on a local radio channel which focuses on fostering positive environmental action amongst the masses. She is writing another booklet for children on environmental heroes of Pakistan. She is also a chartered accountancy finalist and currently working as Information Specialist with UN-IOM Mass Communication Team in flood-affected districts of Punjab. She has appeared on media channels and has a presence on social media too.

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Working for a Cause

The President and chief executive of The Citizens Foundation (TCF), Syed Asaad Ayub Ahmad was all smiles when he said that the number of schools in the country being run by TCF will increase to 725 in April this year from present 660, and the number of enrolment will go up to 100,000 from the current 92,000. He pointed out that some 5,000 teachers are imparting education in the TCF schools all over the country, and more than 100 schools were located in the flood-affected areas.

He said that there are 10 commitments from various organisations and philanthropists for setting up of schools in the flood affected areas.

Asaad Ayub shared his views about education in Pakistan and the role philanthropist citizens and organizations need to play to support and promote education among the less privileged population. Before joining TCF, he was working as Sales Director for the Castrol Division at British Petroleum.

 Q: How do you see the current education scenario in Pakistan?

A: Education is a key factor contributing towards a country’s development and can make the difference between temporary alleviation and long-term solutions. Over the years the educational graph of Pakistan has shown an improvement as we have been able to reach a literacy rate of 57% as opposed to a literacy rate of 43.90% in 1998, however this rate has been very slow. Owing to the mere 2.1% of the GDP allocated to education, our literacy rate continues to be at the bottom end of global rankings.

Till date, a vast majority of the population does not have access to even primary education and almost one-third of primary school going-age children are out of school. This proportion rises to three-quarter for secondary students whereas an enrollment of just 4.7% in tertiary sector points towards the fact that out of the 24% students enrolled in the secondary sector only a handful are able to peruse advanced studies. The factors behind this are many and if not checked will continue to plague our education system. Many NGOs and private sector organizations have come forward and have started to improve the situation gradually.

Q: What should steps should our government take to improve the standard of education for the poor?

A: A key step in this regard would be increasing the percentage of GDP allocated to education. This in turn would enable the creation of more schools coupled with better facilities, and would also make it possible to revise and update the curriculum based on need-assessment. Another key tool in improving educational standards would be establishing a monitoring body that would evaluate and keep a strict quality check on all schools. This model has worked for TCF for fifteen years and as a result we have been able to maintain the same standard of education in all 660 units of TCF schools.

In order to bring about an overall improvement in the standard of education, yet another factor that needs to be considered is the standardization of coursework, medium of teaching and system of education across all public sector schools. When this is done, then even the underprivileged students of public sectors schools will be able to access quality education.

Q: How can the private sector help?

A: The recent years have seen a mushroom growth of private schools across the country. However, a large portion of these schools are located in urban areas as compared to the rural localities. Therefore by comparison a large majority of the rural masses are still deprived of educational facilities.

The standard of education in the private sector schools has a disparity since in most cases the quality of education varies depending on the fee structure and whether the school is located in urban or rural area. If this difference in the standard of education is overcome through the standardization of curriculum, medium of teaching as well as system of education, the private sector would be able to provide quality education to all enrolled, irrespective of social and financial status.

Q: Do we need to make major changes in school curriculum?

A: The Ministry of Education has made tremendous progress in terms of developing a detailed curriculum. By involving private organizations like Teachers’ Resource Center in Curriculum development, the resultant 2007 curriculum is comprehensive and covers key learning areas and outcomes according to different levels successfully. However, adding elements that make the coursework more practical and initiate learning through understanding is something that needs to be worked on more.  TCF adheres to the same SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes), and while they maybe the end, the means to realizing these targets is a dynamic syllabus that encourages intellectual enlightenment and constructive/progressive learning.

Q: Do you think English should be made the medium of education in schools?

A: The National Education Policy 2009 encompasses a major policy shift to English as the primary language of instruction for Mathematics and Science. This decision has been taken by the government to curb the social stratification caused by inequitable access to quality educational opportunities for a major fraction of the student population.

International studies provide counter evidence to the policy shift by highlighting the importance of selecting a familiar language for education. According to a UNESCO Report, in linguistically diverse countries, this is even more important because the wrong decision could widen social stratification and inspire ethnic animosity. Local studies assert that Urdu should be the language of instruction because of its practical usage in public domains, high familiarity across the nation (Mother tongue or 1^st Language for 77% of the population), and positive impact on future opportunities for students.

An interesting example to note is Malaysia, which introduced English as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics in 2002. Studies conducted 5-7 years after implementation concluded that the policy shift had proven counterproductive by negatively affecting understanding and performance of students.

Thus, in the light of such examples, I believe that country should use its national language as medium of education at schools. In this regard, TCF utilizes Urdu as the medium of instruction because most students can clearly understand and communicate in it. On the other hand recognizing the importance of English as a language TCF teaches it as a subject.

Q: How did you join TCF?

A: Before joining TCF I was working as Sales Director for the Castrol Division at British Petroleum. Prior to that, I served in other senior positions on behalf of British Petroleum. However, through out my life I have always been inclined towards the cause of education. My mother and father served as educationists and in my early years I took up teaching for an year as well. During my educational years and even after that I organized several projects to help raise funds for the cause of education.

Being able to help in spreading education and improving the lives of the less-privileged is a cause that has been close to my heart from the very beginning, therefore joining TCF was a move that was more about being able to make a difference than a professional choice.

 Q: Does the TCF open to sharing its experience with other organizations working in education sector?

A: In a word, yes. TCF works for a cause that is very close to my heart and I believe that discussion always helps in broadening perspectives and leads to change. Therefore, I tend to freely share my experience at TCF with other such organizations in an effort to contribute towards improvement in the existing educational models. ###