Pakistani School Security Improvements

After weeks of working with local workers we're excited to announce that the first gate has been installed! This gate not only helps us fulfill the regulations put in front of us by the Pakistani government but it also gives peace of mind to both students and staff. Ersari Elementary is one of our larger schools that serves over 400 students during the day and an aditional 50 girls in the evening, with a staff of 16 administrators and teachers. Our Pakistan program as a whole currently has a 41% female enrollement rate while Ersari Elementary currently has a 35% female enrollement rate.

Since Barakat's main goal is to educate girls we work very closely with the local community to learn about what they care about and what we can do to help them. Our main audience is the Afghan refugees in the city of Attock which means that not only do we have to keep the Pakistani culture in mind but also the Afghani culture as well. To try an accomidate as many people as we can Barakat offers both day time classes and evening classes. The daytime classes are open to both boys and girls while the evening classes are only open to girls. By offering evening classes we are able to make it possible for girls who need to be at home or work to support their families during the day to gain an education.

The school year in Pakistan runs from September to June like schools in the U.S. so students will soon be going on summer break, but administrators will be working thoughout the summer in preparation for the next school year. Before students finish for the summer they will be sitting through final exams which will determine who moves on to the next grade and who does not. We will share the results with the exam later in the summer once the tests have been graded and counted.