What we do

A need for The Citizens Foundation

TCF has built all its schools in urban slums and rural villages where the poorest and most vulnerable children live. 84% of the cost of running these schools is borne by TCF. Thus, despite winning numerous international accolades for providing an excellent education at an extremely low cost, we need your help to run our schools; to maintain the high standards of quality in our schools and to continue expanding our network of schools to areas where the need is greatest.

According to a Unesco report, the government only spends 2.4% of its GDP on education against the Unesco-recommended norm of a minimum of 4%. Some 3,500 schools do not have a building: of those that do, 4000 are classed as “dangerous”; 29,000 schools have no electricity; 14,000 have no drinking water; 22,000 do not have a toilet; 4,000 consist of a single classroom; and fewer than 100 secondary schools have science labs.

In 1995, a group of businessmen felt these statistics couldn’t be ignored anymore. They believed that disadvantaged children deserved the same opportunities that they were able to offer their own children, so decided to take matters into their own hands.

Their shared vision was a network of schools that would raise good citizens with world-class academic and life skills – plus the confidence to live by them. Today, that vision is a reality. TCF schools ensure Pakistan’s poorest children are given the opportunity to realise their true potential. More importantly, these children can now hope for a better future.

Making the simplest of dreams come true

The first TCF school opened its doors over 16 years ago, thanks to generous private donations and support from corporate companies. Today, there are over 730 schools, which provide high-quality education to over 102,000 children.

All schools are purpose built and equipped with play areas, libraries, working single-sex washrooms and running water. All classrooms are designed for maths, science, art as well as Urdu and English lessons. In addition to these facilities, our secondary schools enjoy science labs and computer rooms.

Equal opportunities for both boys and girls

To encourage female enrolment, TCF employs only female teaching staff. Although all teachers are fully qualified, they undergo further training within the TCF teacher training college, which ensures all teachers are qualified to the high standard TCF requires. As the distance to schools is a key factor that affects the enrolment of girls, TCF offers transport to and from each school, so that parents can rest assured their daughters are in safe hands. These measures have resulted in an equal 50% split between male and female students.

Encouraging a sense of dignity and pride

All TCF schools are run on a pay-as-you-can-afford basis; families are encouraged to make a nominal contribution towards school fees. Many households’ income is extremely low, so families often pay as little as 10 rupees (8p) per month. We believe this enables parents to feel part of their child’s education. It also helps to build a sense of pride amongst communities.

Students from the poorest households are provided with free uniforms, textbooks and other important school supplies.

Success that speaks for itself

Our schools continue to go from strength to strength. The dropout rate is less than 1% and many of the students who were with us since our first school opened 15 years ago have graduated, with many moving on to further education or employment. Each year increasing numbers of our grade X students have achieved A+, A and B Grades in the external State Board Matriculation examinations. In the most recent academic year, 49% of students attained A+ and A Grades – 10% more than last year and well above the national average with some of our students ranking in the top 10 in these exams. A commendable result considering that TCF’s students come from some of Pakistan’s poorest communities.

In 2007, we initiated a college placement programme, which aims to help our students make the transition to higher education. Many have already enrolled onto engineering, medical, and accountancy courses. We have also established a teacher-training institute, which provides ongoing training and logistical support to our teaching staff. In addition, it allows many of our older students to pass their knowledge on to children who share the same dream of building a better future for themselves.

We have found that there is a near-insatiable appetite for education in Pakistan, not least for girls. Children are the same everywhere, excited to be in a classroom, enjoying the playground but hungry for knowledge and craving the opportunity to fulfil their potential.