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education city word of mouth
education By
Sabeen Jamil It is the best of times. Some popular private schools have announced results for the entrance test of class one and the parents of successful candidates are ecstatic. It is the spring of hope for they supposedly have everything before them. These five-year-olds have not let their parents down because they got admission in the schools of their parents' choice. Life is good… For some, however, it
is the worst of times – those who got rejected. The children let their
parents If Charles Dickens were to write a novel titled the 'The tale of pre-primary and primary education in Karachi,' this is probably how he would start. Given the sad state of education in Karachi, Kolachi believes that the novel would be very depressing. At least that's what the struggle of Maha and Xuniar suggests. Maha, five years old now, was enrolled in one of the popular montessories in the city when she was two-and-a-half years old. The montessori catered to the children of middle-class and upper middle-class and promised a strong academic base along with creating confidence. Thus Roohi, Maha's mother, got her child enrolled there. However, upon Roohi's request, the Director of the montessori refused to prepare Maha for the class one entrance tests of some prestigious schools. "We have not set up a montessori to prepare children for entry tests but to develop their personality," she said. However, having Maha
enrolled in the montessori for over two years as a result of which she
got Opening up a montessori is indeed a profitable business in Karachi. Given the dearth of inexpensive and quality education in both the public and private sector, the select few that are available remain much sought after in terms of admissions. Every year, thousands of parents apply for the admission of their children against a few hundred seats available for class one in these schools. The schools, however, select a few deserving applicants among the thousands on 'merit.' A written test followed by the interviews of selected children and their parents is how these schools evaluate the merit of the children. The criterion however gives way to the preparatory centres that cover themselves under the name of montessori and spin thousands against each child. Admitting a child
usually at two-and-a-half years of age (or earlier), the monthly fee for
montessories 'Difficult' is how montessories and parents describe the entrance tests for class one. Though none of the montessories ever get to see the test papers, nor are they provided with preparatory guidance from the respective schools, they focus on some specific areas as far as test preparations are concerned. This includes improving English and Urdu language skills, naming objects, mathematical tables and sometimes even memorising and writing small paragraphs. Creative techniques as introduced in the montessori method are used to help child learn this. "After rigorous exercises," said Roohi "the children finally learn how to attempt these tests," adding that a good montessori is the one that makes sure that the children clear the entrance tests that they appear in. Maha appeared in the entrance tests of some five different schools and cleared four of them, after a great deal of effort. "If she had memorised an essay on turtles, she would never have failed," Roohi explained, talking about the test of one school that Maha did not clear. Maha, on the other hand, said that test was quite lengthy and "out of the syllabus taught at montessori." The most difficult part was writing a few lines on turtles. "The montessori had prepared Maha for some five animals. Sadly, turtle was not one of them," said Roohi. Dr Nilofar Vazir who worked as Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), at the Institute for Educational Development at The Aga Khan University, said that save a few exceptions, the aim of the montessori system here is solely to get the child to pass the test "which is opposite to the philosophy of Maria Montessori (the pioneer of the Montessori system) who aimed at holistic development of child without forcing him to learn." Dr Vazir thinks that this misuse of the concept may hurt a child's self-esteem. "Not clearing a test for child means he/she was not competent enough," she explained, adding that ultimately it means a lack of motivation in life. Meanwhile, Xunair's tale is an ordeal of another kind. Three years back, he was enrolled in a montessori that guaranteed admission for a prestigious boys' school for almost every child. "I wanted him go to there because two of his cousins also cleared the test and got in," said Xunair's mother Mrs Azeem. Xunair was rigorously trained for the test and since the school believed Xunair was not "smart enough" he was enrolled in the extra classes for after-school preparations. "He would be at school from eight in the morning till late in the afternoon," said Mrs Azeem adding that she would herself prepare him at home afterwards. "I always told him how important it was for his future but he didn't understand it," shared Mrs Azeem with Kolachi, adding with a tinge of sadness that he didn't get in. She admits that Xunair was under immense pressure and was even slapped by her over silly mistakes "but we did it to secure his future," she justified. Mrs Azeem said that Xunair, being a shy kid, lost his confidence in the examination hall, especially when he was given a lengthy test and burst into tears afterwards. "I am not capable enough," he now believes when his cousins tease him for not clearing the test. Maha has something similar to share. Though she was able to meet her mother's target, she would have stomach cramps before the test. "I was afraid mama will hate me if I fail," she told Kolachi. Salma Kamal of the Mariam Child Development Centre (MCDC) admits that children put under immense pressure. "I admit we are not a montessori in the true sense but what we do is essential," she explained. The MCDC is one of those montessories in the city that claim to have a 70 per cent success rate in entrance tests. Though Salma admits they don't follow the actual montessori concept, she justifies it by saying that "no child will pass the test if we start following the system because it refrains from forcing a child to learn, which is not practical for test system." Interestingly, unlike the popular perception, many schools like the girls school into which Maha got into have a slightly different criterion for selection. "We select a child if he/she is confident and his parents are interested in his development," the source from the school said. However, the PECHS has a different approach. "We see what kind of knowledge a child is bringing in to school," said Seema Malik, Principal of the school. She said that since children come from pre-schools, "we have to judge them based on that or else the parents will think that the Montessori was a waste," she added. However, Seema admits that it's not fair to label a child over just a day's performance. Dr Vazir also stresses that it is up to the parents to change their concept of montessori as a preparatory centre. "Send your child to such institutes for learning skills instead of passing a test," she said, adding that a montessori, if up to the mark, can help child interact, socialise, communicate effectively and learn moral values easily. Parents like Roohi and Mrs Azeem however feel that if there are enough quality public schools in the city as well as a proper preparatory guidance from schools "our and children lives would be much easier." --Photos by: Syed Iftikhar Ali Future of Lyariites gloomy as PPP leadership looks differently By Jan Khaskheli Lyari, the home of
politically aware cadre, famous sportsmen, Leva dancers and wedding song Libraries are seen fully packed with youth, who are either students who want to get themselves updated -- to compete with fellow classmates in institutes -- or are associated with political parties. Reading and sports activities were the pastimes of the youth long ago. The earlier trend of reading books is the reason why Lyari houses more libraries as compared to other city areas. There were 40 libraries in Lyari before, which either have been closed or have been more or less abandoned by the people because they do not want to risk visiting them at the cost of their lives. That is why the Lyari youth is unable to qualify for the pre entry-tests for professional institutes in the city, said Ellahi Bakhsh of Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO). Ellahi Bakhsh has been one of the most active members of the civil society in the old neighbourhood and played a leading role to promote a healthy culture and increasing political education. For instance, the Lyari Text Book Library, locally known as Mulla Fazil Hall Library was a central place for avid readers. It possessed textbooks, especially for students of professional institutes, engineering, medical and science. It was helpful for poor students to hire books free of cost daily to go through it and return the same. Several students used these libraries and got their degrees. At present, many people sitting on higher posts in the government and private institutions are the beneficiaries of these libraries. Not only were the sports activities deemed compulsory in Lyari schools, but organising cultural festivals and taking part in quiz and speech competitions were also attractive hobbies for the youth. However, now they have become victims of this war being fought in their streets. Reading habits in the low-income locality of Lyari was the norm in the past. But now not only it has declined gradually, the reading rooms have also been closed. Residents point their fingers towards the uncontrollable gang war that has affected the entire culture forcing the book-loving folk to stay at home. "It is a power game. Earlier, the vested interests wanted to destroy the PPP stronghold. They created uncertainty by promoting drug use and providing teenagers easy access to arms to serve their ulterior motives," the activist said. The streets have turned into places of fear where local residents seem reluctant to roam the way they used to. Teenagers carrying guns are wandering the streets, depriving the people of their valuables. This has also affected educational institutes, which are turning into 'haunted' houses now. Teachers are reluctant to come there. Students either have shifted to other places along with their families or seen reluctant to go to schools. "It seems that the war mongers have been given a task to force the old people to migrate and accommodate the newcomers. It is punishment the Lyari people are being given for a crime they never committed," the activist added. The activists said that Lyariites are also Pakistanis like the rest of the people. If anything, they have never betrayed national interest. Associating themselves with Z.A. Bhutto-led PPP is not a crime. "Our elders joined hands with Z.A. Bhutto because he was the first political leader who hugged the poor people and when he came into power, he initiated development works in their neighbourhood. That is why the new generation feels indebted to the Bhutto dynasty," they added. The local bodies system has affected the reading culture. Many old libraries do not have new books for the last many years. The Town Nazim and UC nazims, justifying their excuse, say that they are not being allocated funds for development projects. In this situation, how can they arrange for funds for purchasing new books and newspapers to brainwash the youth, the activists wondered. Rahim Buksh Azad, a Balochi folklore writer and activist, said: "There are probably more than 1,000 people, who have their personal libraries at homes in the Lyari Town that has a population of 0.6 million." It is worth mentioning here that Lyari Town is sub-divided into 11 union councils. Azad himself has a good collection of more than 3,000 books of literature, history, culture and art in Sindhi, Balochi, Urdu and English. The Pakistan Hall Library, located near Jhatpat Market, Chakiwara, is the oldest library, established by Abdullah Haroon before Partition -- Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah himself visited the library, Azad said. Saeed Baloch, another activist said: "There was a little group of writers and activists, who mobilised the people to raise a voice to get access to libraries at their neighbourhoods during the ZA Bhutto government, which later set up more libraries in the area. "These libraries had leading magazines of the world for the readers of this low-income area. We started reading Time Magazine, Newsweek, Reader's Digest, Economist London etc, in these libraries 15 years ago," Saeed said. Now these libraries have lost its attraction. The managements do not have more funds to purchase sufficient newspapers, periodicals and new books. The Meeran Naka Municipal Library has been shut for the last few years. Similarly, the S. Muhamaduddin Library, near Moulamadad, is not functioning properly. The staff is available but the library receives no newspapers and books because of reasons best known to the management. The Mujahid Park Library was the second largest library of the area, which had a good collection of books, ranging from Yoga to Science, Literature and history. Now, hardly a small number of people visit it daily. The Satellite Library Singulane always remained open from morning to midnight but now its management shuts the door in the afternoon. Some activists believe that readers have changed their habits because of depoliticisation of the society. Reading books and newspapers and seeking more knowledge is not on their priority anymore. Ellahi Baksh said the people of Lyari have voted to elect PPP representatives for the last 39 years consecutively but in return, they (the PPP leaders) have given nothing to the voters when they come in to power. The people need nothing from the government but peace in their neighbourhood. "Recently, when I was visiting Kalri and Shah Baig Lane, the main affected area nowadays, I saw many houses locked and looking like ghost homes," he said. "I was born and nurtured in the streets of Lyari but now I can neither go to friends easily nor can they visit me," Ellahi Bakhsh added. The PPP leadership does not have an attractive package to tackle the issue to restore peace in the restive Lyari. The people deserve affirmative action by the government for providing jobs to youth. Besides they should announce amnesty for local outlaws, who are said to have been forced to take up arms for self-protection and now they are facing criminal cases. This may be only way out to restore peace in the area. However, area activists are quite concerned about their next generations, whose future is looking gloomy because of prolonged uncertainty in the old area. They said that PPP flags are everywhere, which is valid proof that the residents are committed to the party but the priorities of the leadership are indifferent, which the activists condemn. citycalling Fishy business By Gibran Ashraf The Empress Market is
the largest and oldest market of the city. Built by the British in 1889
in In the fish section of the market, a huge variety of sea food is sold. One can found the local but expensive pomfret, a small flat fish shaped quite like a diamond. The imported tuna is of good quality as are the reasonably-sized crabs. The Black Tiger prawns, however, stand out (being the largest variety of prawns available anywhere in the world and can measure up to 15 inches in length). There is also squid which is small with tentacles like that of an octopus along with a large cone-like head. The price range of these products, fresh as they are, is quite reasonable. Abdul Rahman, a regular customer said that "you just can't beat the quality of the crabs available here. You get quite reasonably-sized crabs here. The best part about them is the price." The number of
foreigners who visit the market also deserves mention here. One can find
people from When asked about the unhygienic conditions prevailing in the market and how could buy food for a restaurant from here, he said that "the situation is the same all over Karachi, and if we are going to be finicky about this, then we might as well close shop because the prices at the restaurants will hit the ceiling." The market's dilapidated condition is a cause for concern. The make-shift arrangements for electricity in a place overflowing with sewage and other fluids are disasters waiting to happen. The windows are without proper netting thus allowing a free passage to flies and dust. Being an old structure, the roof is falling down at several places and there is a gaping hole in the roof with the foundations showing. Iqbal, the President of the Union of Fish Vendors of Empress Market, has been an integral part of this market and explained that 10-15 years ago, the Municipal Corporation, KMC, as it was then called, used to renovate and maintain the structure on an annual basis. However, "no one cares about us any more -- for at least five years, we have been fending for ourselves. We have been forced to draw electricity from a kunda despite repeated complaints to the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation to resume our electric supply," he explained. Iqbal added that
"its not just the customers lives that are in danger, those who
work here are also In addition to the fresh fish offered by the market, one can find frozen sea food as well. May Francis, a Goanese and a teacher by profession who frequents the frozen foods section, revealed that "frozen food is quite convenient and satisfactorily hygienic as compared to the fresh sea food sold here." She admitted that she pays more for frozen food compared to fresh food but claims that "it is worth it". For all those on a budget, there remains the option of dry fish, available in the groceries section of Empress Market. The fish are meticulously prepared and are sold at approximately the same price per kilogram as fresh fish, but on an average, you get double the quantity of fish per kg. Dry forms of fish are also available, whole and in pieces. Despite all the drawbacks of the market, it remains a popular choice for all the sea food needs of the city, be it fresh, frozen or even dried. word
of mouth By Hira Najam The Italians, I think,
have said it the best: live to eat. Undoubtedly, it is this maxim of
theirs which is Pasta is a Latin word which refers to 'dough' or 'paste'. There are over 350 varieties of pasta shapes available which differ from one region of Italy to another. Pasta can either be made fresh, or like is most common these days, dried for use later. While putting together a plate of pasta does not require much ingenuity, what people find most difficult is judging the correct time it takes to boil pasta and more importantly, how to boil it. Since most people find making pasta from scratch not worth their while, we don't really see much fresh pasta available. However, the dried varieties are also very good, easily used and widely available. For boiling pasta, the Italians have certain rules. And since they are the ones who have brought us this dish, I think it's safe to say they know best. The following steps are guaranteed to give you good results, the Italian way: 1. For every 100 gram of pasta you need one litre of water. 2. The water should be at boiling point already. 3. The boiling water
should be 'sapore di mare' or having a 'taste of the sea', that is, it
should be While some people may put some oil in the water pot to stop the pasta from sticking, it is quite unnecessary when boiling pasta in a big enough pan with a lid and plenty of salted boiling water. The word 'al dente' which literally means 'to the tooth' is used when checking whether the pasta is cooked properly or not. This refers to the pasta with a slight bite in it, hence the phrase to the teeth. Most people tend to think al dente pasta refers to hard or uncooked pasta, when it really refers to the pasta being cooked and holding its shape. There can be nothing worse or more criminal to the Italians than over cooked pasta! An additional thing to remember, though, is that the pasta goes into the sauce, never the sauce into pasta. The various varieties of pasta are used depending on the type of sauces that they're to be served with and the regions which the dishes belong to. –Lasagna uses sheets
of pasta alternatively layered with cheese, a kind of sauce which can
and –Ravioli refers to the sheets of pasta with filling; this could be anything from cheese to meat to sea food. –Penne pasta is most often used with marinara sauce or any other tomato based sauces which can easily cling to the ridges and the tube shape of it. –Rigatoni refers to large grooves and is usually used for sauces which are cream based and can easily cling to it. –Macaroni, most versatile of all the pasta shapes is shaped like an elbow and is also referred to as elbow macaroni. It can be topped with almost every sauce, but is more often remembered thanks to the American dish 'mac and cheese' (macaroni and cheese). –Fusilli is twisted shaped pasta which is very versatile in its use and can be used with any sauce, but is more often seen in salads and added to soups. –Fettuccine is long
flat pasta which is also used in cream based sauces, but is more famous
as –Spaghetti is the most famous of all pastas. It is long rod-like pasta which is the most widely used all over the world it can be put in sauces or baked, in soups or used in stir-fry, there is nothing that can't be done with spaghetti. Whatever the shape, whatever the sauce or the style of cooking, that pasta rules the heart of many a people is not an understatement. There is nothing more filling or more pleasing to the heart (and stomach!) than a plate of pasta. One can simply drench it in olive oil with a bit of garlic, make a tomato sauce that takes hours to cook, or throw it with some meat and make a casserole. With pasta it doesn't matter what you do. With some sense of flavors that go together and a dash of creativity you can easily end up with a wonderful plate of pasta. And for that, you and I can not thank the Italians enough.
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down and life is, well, not as good.
admission in an all-girls school of the city, Roohi is convinced that
most montessories aim at preparing children for the entrance test.
"They never admit it," she said "but their major aim is
to prepare children for entrance test. It is a big business now."
range anywhere between Rs1,600 to Rs6,000 depending on where they are
located. Besides that, parents have to pay a sizeable amount as
admission fee. Ironically, parents believe it to be perfectly normal.
"It is all worth it," said Roohi who paid Rs10,000 as
admission fees for Maha. Though she admitted that the amount was a bit
much, still the couple is happy that Maha will now get quality education
against a reasonable fee. "If she had not been sent to a
montessori," said Roohi "she could not have cleared the
test." The tests are so difficult that mothers need assistance to
prepare children for them. 
performers has now turned to 'red' zones occupied by armed groups. Since
the libraries come under these red zones, the students suffer the most.
The declining trend of reading books in Lyari can be gauged from the
results of students, appearing in matriculation and intermediate
examinations. For the last five-six years, it has been witnessed that
the students are getting low marks in their examinations.
commemoration of the Queen's 25th year of reign and to provide its
officers stationed in the city -- as it was known then -- with a
centrally located market to buy an array of items of both locally and
foreign manufactured. The market houses approximately 1,700 shops today.
Being a British legacy, the quality of construction was superior.
the diplomatic enclave buying seafood here every now and then. Edward,
who is a buyer for a popular Chinese restaurant on Tariq Road, said that
"the fish quality here is impeccable. I can find all the required
ingredients for our dishes here." He said that several Chinese
restaurants of the city get all their ingredients from the Empress
Market as there is nothing that is not available in this market.
under constant threat of electrocution, or by slipping on the floor
covered with water."
reflected in their food. This may be why all over the world Italian food
products manage huge markets. One of the most famous exports of Italian
food anywhere in the world is pasta. And there is nothing, I think,
simpler than putting together a plate of scrumptious pasta.
salted properly.
mostly does include meat or tomatoes.
Fettuccine Alfredo, a sauce which is a mixture of cream, cheese and
butter (or heart attack on a plate)!