The Garage School offers youngsters a free education based on honesty, hard work, health and hygiene.
Holding my outstretched palm, I tell the newcomers about the five-finger formula that defines my schooling philosophy. In Urdu it stands for: taur (grooming), tareeqa (approach), tarbiyat (training), taleem (education), and tareeqi (progress)," says Shabina Mustafa, the woman who is opening up a world of opportunities for the children of Pakistan thanks to a school she started in her garage.
To provide a cost-free education system to the masses was a profound desire of Syed Safi Mustafa (SJ). He wanted underprivileged children to reap the benefits of education and experience a better life. He was a Flight Lieutenant in the Pakistan Air Force and was awarded Sitara Juraat for his bravery. After his death in the 1971 war, his wife Shabina started to look for ways make her husband's dream a reality. The Garage School (TGS) is a tribute to him.
"I was a widow at the age of 20," says Shabina. "My husband was an air force pilot who was killed in 1971 in Bangladesh,
leaving behind a two-month old son. Giving Zain the finest education possible was a priority and he now is a well-known interior designer in Dubai."
In November 1999 Shabina, a single mother and working woman, laid the foundations of TGS by starting lessons for a group of 14 underprivileged youngsters living nearby. As days went by, more and more parents brought their children to her garage classroom as the school was an ideal way to keep them from roaming the streets and getting into trouble. Today the school, located in Clifton Karachi, is a home away from home for 200 students.
"When I launched my school, I had no idea it would expand so quickly and reach out to so many," she says. "Enrolment grew rapidly. We now have about 200 students, of whom 42 are going to mainstream schools."
Shabina has adopted a well-rounded approach to education that entails not only teaching her students the alphabet but also discipline and culture. She talks of the values she instils in the children: honesty, hard work, health and hygiene as equalling a human being. "My aim is to provide equal opportunity through education, direction and guidance to attain financial independence beyond gender differences," she says.
The children come from areas such as Neelum Colony and Shah Rasool Colony, where there is a basic lack of resources. Often, a family of ten lives in an eight-by-ten-feet house with no proper sanitation. TGS aims to give youngsters the means to provide a better life for themselves and their families.
Just a few years after it started, the garage was spilling over with children. First they moved to a classroom in the car park outside the garage but within months that too seemed like a temporary solution. At that point, Shabina realised the time had come to open another branch of her school. So in January 2007, TGS opened its doors in the heart of Neelum Colony in a rented space. This second school not only provides academic classes but will soon start lessons in vocational skills such as carpentry, electric work, cutting, sewing and embroidery.
But Shabina would like to expand further and provide outdoor space for her pupils. "My students are deprived of playing
outdoor games since we don't have a proper school ground. If I get an old house or building with grounds, my children, who have dreams of becoming cricketers, will have a place to play," she says.
TGS offers free education, giving pupils free uniforms, stationery and books. It is grateful to Wartsila Pakistan for providing it with uniforms, sweaters and shoes for all the students for the past three years. Apart from this, regular nutrition is provided courtesy of English Biscuits Manufacturers and Nestle Pakistan. And a circle of friends and family also provides boiled eggs, juices, chickpeas and vitamins to make sure the youngsters have a balanced diet.
The school provides informal counselling services for pupils to give them a sense of security, encouragement, hope and confidence. These children are also taught social and religious tolerance, respect for human rights and the importance of caring for other individuals. Taking them on educational visits helps them understand what they are learning at school and also gives them an opportunity to meet new people.
Happy is happy
Health is given great importance at TGS. Each child has an annual ear, nose and throat check-up and has vaccinations for hepatitis and typhoid. One child, Happy Maxell, was suffering from an acute cardiac disease, and was taken to Chennai in India for open heart surgery. Happy is now doing very well and is able to live a healthy, playful life. Shabina says, "I am very grateful to all the people in Dubai who have constanltly supported the Garage School. In sposoring children and in major operations I wish them well and I hope more will support The Garage School."
TGS is not just a school but a home to many. Birthdays are celebrated with balloons, birthday cake and songs. "This is a part of grooming and they will be conscious of how old they are," says Shabina. Apart from birthdays, Eid is celebrated with enthusiasm. Clothes are bought and gift wrapped, children are taken to markets to choose their own shoes and bangles, and as this involves their likes and dislikes it also gives them the chance to enjoy Eid shopping.
"At the moment I am busy preparing for Eid and we welcome Zakat funds, which will be utilised for clothing and some provisions for Eid Festival in the children's homes" says Shabina.
There are four religions interacting on a daily basis in TGS and so occasions such as Easter, Christmas and Diwali are also celebrated. "My students are of different religions denominations, Muslim, Christians, Hindus and Sikh but all religious festivals are celebrated with equal zeal," says the dedicated teacher. "What better lesson in tolerance could there be for a country where religious bigotry has emerged as a major evil?"
Equipped for a career
Shabina has always dreamed of giving the students a means to earn a living. Six students are studying for beauty courses with a view to getting a job in a salon in Karachi. Similarly, eight boys are part of a formal vocational school where they learn carpentry and want to adopt this skill professionally. "I can't believe that 42 children have already left my school to enter better schools. It's like seeing little buds blooming and my garden expanding," she says.
"Our first student, Anil Prakash, is registered in a well-known business college in Karachi and has completed the first two years of schooling there. He was amongst the first 14 students of the school. Coming from a poor family he could not have dreamt to come where he is. With his current summer job, he now is able to support his family."
Shabina is now looking forward to establishing the next four pupils who are awaiting their matriculate exams results and will have jobs in Toyota Indus Motors in Karachi after passing their entrance test. TGS has had long association with Toyota Indus Motors as they have donated its TGS school van.
"My son asks me to not leave my students like Eliza Dolittle. Provide them with vocational skills and get them jobs. This is a challenge I face today," says Shabina.
"I feel education is the most basic tool for poverty alleviation. Its absence adversely effects individual's economic progress and consequently that of the country."
The dedicated mother is hoping that one day she can have a space of her own where she can open a polytechnic school to cater to all the underprivileged youngsters from Neelum Colony, Shah Rasool and its neighbourhood.
Making a difference
As a part of her community welfare activities, Shabina Mustafa is trying to find ways of improving the neighbourhood the children come from.
The following projects are under way:
Adult Literacy Programme (APL): classes are held in the evening within the school premises and include courses for parents and older siblings. Short courses are being offered for Urdu, English and Mathematics along with a four-year programme to complete Grade 10 (matriculate). ALP certified women are targeting young girls who are not allowed to come out of their homes and will very soon get married.
Clean neighbourhood and recycling: This is a campaign where residents are encouraged to keep their homes and streets clean. Cloth bags were distributed for the collection and proper disposal of papers, glass and tin. They may sell the garbage and recyclable items and save money. This is part of the 'Selling to Save' campaign for educated women.
TGS Bank: Each child in the school is provided with a piggy bank to collect money, which teaches them the habit of saving. This is the first step towards opening of the Garage School Bank.
Vocation Skill Projects: these include classes for carpentry, cutting, embroidery and electrics work, and music.