In a recent M. Phil in Education research title The Educational Problems, their Causes, and Remedial Measures for the Community-based schools of Youhanabad, Lahore, conducted by Kashi Javed, the Director Training of Chopan Trust, significant educational challenges were identified within community-based schools in Yohanabad, Lahore.
These pressing problems include:
Early Educator Skills Deficiency: The research highlighted the issue of inadequately trained teachers and even school principals, within these schools. Many teachers may not possess the essential skills and knowledge, particularly in core subjects such as English, Urdu, and Mathematics, hindering their ability to effectively impart education to build strong educational foundations in the lives of their students.
Foundational Literacy Skill Gap: A critical issue observed is the high number of students in advanced grades struggling with fundamental literacy skills. This challenge often originates from the qualifications and training of pre-class teachers who interact with children during their crucial formative years. These early educators may lack the necessary pedagogical skills required to establish a robust educational foundation.
Leadership Shortcomings and Deficiency: The leadership in many of these schools, especially principals, often lacks the required academic qualifications, leadership and management skills, and teaching expertise. Additionally, there is a noticeable absence of pedagogical knowledge, hindering their ability to appreciate students’ personal and cultural diversity.
Parental and Community Demotivation: An alarming finding was the discouragement faced by students from their parents and the community. Many students reported being dissuaded from pursuing their education due to societal pressures and negative attitudes.
This underscores the urgent need for initiatives like the 3Es Discipleship: Empowering Early Educators to address these critical issues and empower educators to provide quality education within these communities. In essence, this initiative offers a targeted, sustainable solution to region-specific challenges, engaging early educators to meet the urgent needs of the early educators, principals, children and community.
