19Mar2024
COVID-19 Big Hearts Policy Update Calling All Climate Champions To Apply

TNF-AKHUWAT SCHOOL MODEL

  • To look for small parcels of land (between 4 to 6 acres), preferably donated, and build self-sufficient residential schools including classrooms, laboratories, hostels, dining hall/kitchen, sports infrastructure and teacher/staff accommodation.
  • The building design would be compact, self-sufficient and low cost, without compromising comfort, security and hygiene.
  • Residential accommodation for staff is an integral part, to ensure round the clock supervision and ‘tarbiat’ of the students, being a residential school.
  • TNF/Akhuwat schools will admit children only after Class 5 and educate them till Matric, a period of five years, enough to make a lasting impact on the child. Religious education will be an integral part of the curriculum.
  • State of the art technology will be used for teaching through internet/computers and other modern tools.
  • In class 9 and 10 Vocational training will be incorporate to ensure employability of poorest of the poor, after leaving school, if they are unable to continue their education further.

SCHEDULE AND TIMETABLE - SUBJECT TO SEASONAL CHANGES

To view the complete schedule and timetable for TNF Akhuwat, please click below button

Staff Accommodation

To look for small parcels of land (between 4 to 6 acres), preferably donated, and build self-sufficient residential schools including classrooms, laboratories, hostels, dining hall/kitchen, sports infrastructure and teacher/staff accommodation.

security and hygiene

The building design would be compact, self-sufficient and low cost, without compromising comfort, security and hygiene.

tarbiat

Residential accommodation for staff is an integral part, to ensure round the clock supervision and ‘tarbiat’ of the students, being a residential school.

TNF/Akhuwat schools

TNF/Akhuwat schools will admit children only after Class 5 and educate them till Matric, a period of five years, enough to make a lasting impact on the child. Religious education will be an integral part of the curriculum.

internet/computers

State of the art technology will be used for teaching through internet/computers and other modern tools.

Vocational training

In class 9 and 10 Vocational training will be incorporate to ensure employability of poorest of the poor, after leaving school, if they are unable to continue their education further.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

In order to minimize costs and inculcate value of self-help, students will be required to take up the responsibility of the school. They will be responsible for various tasks needed to maintain the entire student body on the basis of a rotating schedule. The tasks required of each student will include maintenance of residential facilities, laundry duties to ensure cleanliness of attire and bed linens, and any other ancillary tasks deemed necessary to the development of the student.

Alongside these duties the TNF school system will aim to include farming practices to supplement food cost through the establishment of a vegetable garden, as well as small-scale dairy and poultry farming. The aforementioned systems will be developed under the supervision of relevant specialists who will also be tasked with the responsibility of inculcating these skillsets into the students.

The fraternal bonds which are formed by students in a boarding school environment will be actively fostered by the faculty through mentorship and these bonds will form the basis for an overall sense of belonging and collective responsibility. Through the nurturing of a strong sense of community the TNF school system will aim to inculcate an overarching sense of civic duty and national pride. By developing these sentiments in the student body, the system will be creating agents of change that are not solely interested in the fulfilment of their own needs but are aware of the needs of the society of which they are a part and compelled to act in the collective interest of their communities. Through this ground up method of character development the student will be transformed into a self-reliant able individual who has the necessary skills and ability to improve the on-ground situation. Such an individual will be a great asset, to his village, community and country.

Education

The model as envisioned will educate 300/400 boys from grades 6 through 10, entrance age will be between 10-12 years. To ensure, holistic education religious education will also be provided to all students. There will be a strong emphasis on academic development, but since not all students have a propensity for academics, there will be additional provisions for technical and vocational training to ensure basic employability for those students. Additional infrastructural requirements of vocational training will be incorporated into the brick-and-mortar structure of the proposed institution.

There also exists a unique opportunity to provide computer skills and computer programming training for exceptional students in order to further their capacity for career growth.

INNOVATION

Innovative techniques to improve academic performance are not limited to means of instruction alone, as the curriculum can also be reformed to improve absorption and retention. The matriculation curriculum, as determined by the School Education Department (SED) of Punjab, although comprehensive in nature, provides opportunity to improve or strengthen the knowledge base of the student by providing practical application and case study review. Such a model is most notably used by the International Baccalaureate (IB) model and has met with much success world over. By grounding the learning outcomes of the student in real life application, the student has the means and foresight to understand the value of his instruction. The development of such faculties within the student will ensure not only academic performance, but an improved skillset when entering into formal employment. sorption into Pakistan’s emerging ICT sector.

Faculty Training and Recruitment

The main emphasis must be on the induction of quality teachers through fair compensation packages and adequate housing facilities. The first preference must be given to the recruitment of locally based teaching staff to lower the cost of employment. Teacher training will be an intended part of the program. Most of the teachers will be expected to stay in school for which accommodation will be provided. Teacher training module will be rigorous, comprehensive and competitive to ensure a high standard of educational service provision within the proposed system.

Through active effort by the management, teaching capacity of the staff will be upgraded throughout their tenure of employment. It is widely accepted that the soft infrastructural provisions of any educational institution set the basis for success of the students. Therefore, it is the primary objective of the model to promote a well-designed and well-executed curriculum, through good teaching.

Environment

As the incoming student body is likely to come from the lowest socio-economic tier of Pakistani society, his expectation of the living facilities is likely to be minimal. The use of high-class amenities or a plush living space is therefore not of a priority. In order to keep costs low to facilitate rapid replicability, the school will use infrastructural features that are similar to the environment the student is used to. As such, the school will have natural ventilation in the classrooms and dormitories. Bathing area will be collective to circumvent the need for individual shower stalls and could feature a communal tube well area for students to access on a set schedule of availability at multiple time-slots in the day.

Summer and winter sleeping areas may not be the same and open-air sleeping spaces may be set-up during the summer months. The dormitories and classroom spaces will be designed in accordance with traditional building practices to cater to local climate.

The objective of this approach is dual, on one hand to keep costs low as mentioned earlier, and on the other hand keep the student grounded in the realities of their community. Student will not suffer from feelings of inadequacy when returning home, nor will they feel uncomfortable in an alien environment when arriving back at school. Both these effects are of significant importance when considering the psychological well-being of the student.

The continuity between home and school is essential to instill the student with a sense of pride and belonging, whilst ensuring a minimal degree of isolation from the realities of their life. These features are specifically in contrast with the “officer” mindset prevalent in most schools, which implicitly teaches students to be ashamed of a simple lifestyle, and deeply ties their self-respect to the economic tier to which they should belong. The stated environment, alongside the features of character development will mold the student to hold a high self-regard and therefore promote psychological well-being.

Physical Training

The physical development of each student will be a fundamental feature in the comprehensive education scheme of TNF Schools. A healthy body hosts a healthy and able mind. To this end the school will employ a rigorous training regime to promote physical fitness. The regime will include sports of preference of the staff and students for which grounds and basic infrastructure will be provided.

As the stay of the student in the TNF Schools will coincide with the onset of puberty, sports and physical training will set the base of each student for a life time. The benefits of a healthy physical form include an increase in energy, a greater ability to concentrate and an overall increase in immunity.

Schedule

In order to optimize the time available and to provide a healthy and productive routine, the school day will follow a carefully curated schedule. The school day will start at 5:30 am after morning prayers. After a 30-minute period to dress and prepare, the students will start their day with physical exercise. Thereafter they will bathe, dress, have breakfast and prepare for the day. and get to class by 8:00am.

With a short recess at 11:00am they will go for lunch and prayers at 1:00pm. After a two-hour break they will get back to class for an hour and half and at 4:30 pm they will go for two hours of sports and an hour to change and go for dinner at 7:30 pm.

Dinner will be followed by another one and a half hour of class and then bed time.

The objective of the proposed schedule is to get the student used to diligence, hard-work and a well-disciplined life regime. While the long hours spent in the classroom will enable him to expand the learning time available to him, the compulsory time spent on the playing field will relax him and keep him healthy apart from the character-building advantage of sports.

AFTER CLASS REVISION SESSIONS

An integrated advantage of boarding schools is the optimum use of time both for physical and mental development. After school hours, setting aside adequate time for sports, prayers and leisure will be used for continued class work in the evening, to revise lessons or as decided by the academic team.