By Faiq Ahmed | Project Leader
Empowering Future Leaders: Advancements in Life-Skills Based Education at Zindagi Trust Adopted Schools
As our adopted government girls’ schools are now closed for summer vacation, Zindagi Trust is proud to have completed another academic year of providing our students a solid foundation to help them navigate real-world challenges and to make informed choices. We impart these skills through our Life-Skills Based Education (LSBE) program. This program provides girls a safe space for open dialogue and exchange, whereby they receive essential information about their bodies, health and well-being.
Our LSBE curriculum covers six main domains: personal development, emotional and physical well-being, civic and digital literacy and skills for life and livelihood. Within the LSBE curriculum, critical topics such as child rights, women's rights, personal hygiene, child sexual abuse prevention, mental health, animal rights, financial literacy, reproductive health, interpersonal skills, digital safety and more are addressed.
Since our last report, the LSBE program has made significant strides with curriculum development and implementation. The revised curriculum for Grades 1 - 2 continues to be successfully implemented in our schools. Simultaneously, the draft revision for Grades 3 - 8 has just been internally and externally reviewed and is now in the final stages of development. Each topic has been carefully selected and the activity-based learning aligns well with Pakistan’s Single National Curriculum (SNC), which aims to standardize educational practices and enhance the quality of education across the country.
To aid our teachers in implementing the LSBE curriculum, we organize Professional Development (PD) days. Our spring session focused on assessment for early grades and fostering a growth mindset. Our LSBE team was also busy in the spring term conducting support-based teacher classroom observations to help identify and address any pedagogical challenges our teachers may encounter.
A few of the themes that have been explored in LSBE classes since our last report include:
At Zindagi Trust, we aim to improve the quality of education in public schools by transforming our adopted government girls’ schools into centers of academic excellence through targeted interventions and reform. As such, we were delighted to partner with an external stakeholder to integrate the “Happiness Project” into our LSBE program between December 2023-April 2024. The project had a profound impact on developing interpersonal skills. By integrating the social and emotional learning program, with our on-going LSBE activities, our teachers honed their own skills to engage better with students and to cater to their individual needs. Students were supported to live happier and more connected lives and to develop skills to openly talk about their feelings and emotions in a safe space.
The Happiness Project involved group activities, encouraging children to work together to design happiness projects for the school or local community. Through the project girls also learned that it is ok not to feel 100% happy all the time, but that there are tools available to help them navigate through such life circumstances. The project essentially focused on developing civic understanding and fostering emotional well-being, developing critical thinking skills, supporting confidence-building and enhancing relationship management. One project module engaged students in identifying a community problem and finding a viable solution. This activity culminated in experience-sharing and a campus-wide Happiness Festival, whereby students connected with teachers, peers and the community in a celebratory environment.
At Zindagi Trust we remain committed to our mission and goal of empowering young girls and enabling them to realize their full potential. For us, Life-Skills Based Education is more than just a program; it is a commitment to providing our students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to thrive in the global community. We deeply appreciate your ongoing support and hope you will continue to join us on this transformative journey.
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of Zindagi Trust.
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