Client name: UNHCR

Duration: January 1990 – August 2016

Location: KP

Situation

GEMMO team, under the banner of BEFARe, implemented the Community Oriented Primary Education (COPE) project in conflict affected areas of Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa from 1990 till 2016. The project was supported by UNHCR and was recognized as one of the largest refugee education project worldwide with up to a maximum enrolment of 123,000 children from Grade 1 to 8 through 320 schools in 15 districts of KP province. These schools were spread all over the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa province that also included the conflict affected areas of Malakand division. As part of the project, GEMMO team implemented components of EGRA in its schools where assessments of reading skills of students in English language started from as early as grade 1 and students were assessed on monthly and biannual basis. These assessments were done on different levels. Students were evaluated for word recognition, familiar and non familiar words. Students were also graded for the number of correct words in a specific time frame along with its fluency at different grade levels.

At lower level, the students were assessed for direction of writing in the alphabetical systems. Knowledge of words and sounds was also taught in grade 1 and 2 with the help of syllables and GEMMO team designed course books, flashcards, workbooks, blackboards etc. Similarly, 50% of the class time for languages was dedicated to reading specifically. Passage reading was another form of assessment used at GEMMO team administered schools which was used to evaluate the reading fluency of the students. Similarly, great emphasis was laid on oral comprehension where students were given a set of questions which they had to answer in response to the passage read by them. The number of incorrect answers showed how much a student lagged behind in his/her reading and understanding of the concepts. GEMMO team also encouraged its students to use libraries set up in the schools as reading non-course books is a great way to improve reading skills. The implementation of all these instruments was possible with the help of teachers who underwent consistent trainings throughout the project lifecycle. The teachers were also provided on-job training by the field education supervisors and master trainers who observed their teaching methodologies regularly. In case of any deficiency, the teachers were provided guidance for further improvement. GEMMO team also developed materials on peace education, conflict resolution and gender equity and integrations of these themes in to formal and non-formal education. As part of the project, over 3,000 teachers were also capacitated in the form of teacher trainings. In brief, a comprehensive education project was successfully implemented by GEMMO team across KP province whereby more than one million students were educated during the project life cycle.