“This is how the people live,” Zaqir told me, as we bumped down the stony track to visit a school formerly supported by NRSP. The surrounding countryside was dotted with small dwellings with the only road high above them. Steep rural valleys and few roads is the norm here in the mountains, which also makes getting an education here a difficult task as we were currently finding out.

The bike grunted and groaned down a road that would be better suited to a river bed, until we eventually had to park and walk the rest of the way down. The Public Community School , Jamiabad was opened three years ago with the assistance of the National Rural Support Program Network (NRSP) - an initiative originally supported by the Pak Government x years ago but now independent (read more below). The NRSP funded the school for the last three years as it became established and now it was running on a fee basis. Zaqir was my guide from the organization.

“When man has knowledge it protects him“

Jamiabad school student reciting the Koran

This was a typical village school located on a rare piece of flat land halfway down the mountain. The headmaster, Mr. Mussarat Hussain greeted us with a warm handshake as we peered inside the classrooms. The school had 52 students from class Nursery to class 8 and the classes were mixed due to a lack of space. All the students had their heads stuck in their books to make a good impression under the careful watch of their teachers.

So how important is the school to the local community? The answer is very much. This school was the only one in three Union Councils (local districts) with alternatives offered over two hilly kilometers away. Every incentive is necessary here to provide parents with the impetus to get their children an education. I was told that many local parents often feel that education in Pakistan is still not common enough to justify the expenditure beyond Class 5 (in time as well as in money). Education here is still a commodity rather than a right and in fact it is well known that “an education is the most expensive way to secure a job because there are too many graduates vying for too few jobs. Indeed, the school notice rosta showed only six kids attending school after class 5, (although some do carry on to a higher school in New Muree). Most parents pull their kids out of school after class 5 to start a skilled traineeship as a carpenter or mechanic etc.. A class 5 education is deemed sufficient in Pakistan for daily life which in the long run only stymies the country’s progress. A skill is still seen as the better long term investment.

However, Mussarat was proud of his school, especially of the fact that he could afford to pay his teachers and that children from his school “could compete with other good schools” and that they could carry on to a further education at a higher school. Some of the students spoke very good English and it’s a sad truth that to get ahead in Pakistan you need to have a good grounding in that language to compete with the other thousands of graduates.

Now the future of school looks good but not secure. Fees are 100 Rs/month. Students can’t afford these in the long term, which isn’t an incentive for their parents to further their education after class 5 despite the wishes of the child who may already have future ambitions in mind. We did a survey (without teachers present) and of the outspoken students that answered, three wanted to be Faujis (soldiers), 3 wanted to be drivers and one an actor. Girls are always harder to talk to, but despite their quietness girls always perform better than boys which means that they must be working with an eye to the future whatever that might be.

Schools like this one give communities hope, especially where dedicated teachers like Mr. Mussarat exist. Prior to my visit he apparently contacted NRSP twice a day to prepare a ‘proper’ tabloo (show) welcome for me. It was very good with clear recitals, poems and basic message of how important the school was to the future of the community. Yet, it wasn’t necessary as I could see the school was making the most of the facilities it had (like all the schools I have visited so far) but they do need help. The school building was partially damaged by the Earthquake and the financial future of the school is insecure. The NRSP has helped give the children of Jamiabad village a brighter future and like most schools in Pakistan , the struggle for survival has just begun.

NEEDS : Even for 52 students, this school was small and repairs are needed to patch up damage caused by the recent horrific Earthquake. A new school building is the number one priority to provide further warmth in the Himalayan winter and give an individual learning environment for each class. As I’ve said the financial future of the school is not secure and the challenges are mounting daily for Mr. Mussarat and his Public Community School . If you would like to know more please contact below.