The Garage School

Medical Check-ups

Sarah — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:35:32 +0000

As a pre-requisite, all the students in The Garage School have to first go for a free medical checkup when they get admitted. All through the first week of May, 2012, students in groups of 10 have been going to Ahmed Bhamba Hospital with more students to follow over the next few days.

All the credit goes to Dr. Khalid Bhamba who has been the medical angel for The Garage School since 2001. The students get free ENT checkups, eye checkups and blood grouping at his hospital.

Mariam, a new student, who just turned 5 was the bravest of the first batch of students that went for their checkups. She was not only extremely patient in the extreme heat at the hospital but also let the doctor take her blood for the grouping without a murmur. When even the older children were crying, she maintained her calm!

Medical checkups will continue through the second and the third weeks of May.

New Academic Year starts at TGS

Sarah — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:49:26 +0000

New year at The Garage School has started! All the classes except the Nurseries came in on the 23rd April, 2012. Soon after, the new students in these classes were taken for a medical check-up and blood grouping.

The school came alive again with the usual warnings for coming late, the teachers teaching the class and the students asking questions, the chatter during recess and activities for TGS open day, scheduled for the first week of June.

School for Nursery students started on 2nd May and like any other school, the kids were vary of letting their mothers go. Some students cried for hours till their parents came to get them. And today, their third day at school, they still bawl for an hour before they settle down.

Unlike the others, there are two cousins in Nursey who come to the school alone from the colony. Their parents work long hours and hence these kids are on their own! For this reason. we cannot move out of Neelum Colony and the building that we plan on purchasing, borders this colony. We must get children like these off the streets and into the school in order to bring about a revolutionary change in these colonies by the light of education.

Results!!!

Sarah — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:04:19 +0000

It was doomsday for the students of The Garage School. Results were announced on 12th April 2012. Some students went home smiling, others were disappointed but almost all of them breathed a sigh of relief for being promoted to the next grade.

Outstanding students for academic performance, cleanliness, regularity and punctuality were awarded certificates and small tokens of appreciation by The Garage School.

Parents of these students, who had come along with their children for their results, were given a lecture by Mrs. Mustafa on health, hygiene and the importance of education. They were explained in detail as to how they could play their part in polishing their child’s future.

Emphasizing on the importance of education, these parents were urged to come to The Garage School in the evening to study at least the basic English. Urdu and Mathematics courses in our eight month Jugnoo (basic Adult Literacy) course. Most parents, especially mothers were enthusiastic to join these classes which will be beginning from May.

We’d like to wish these students and also those parents who’d be starting their classes from next week, all the very best for the coming year.

Final Exams at The Garage School

Sarah — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:23:29 +0000

Enter The Garage School these days and there will be a quaint hush all over the school. The sound of pencils scribbling and pages turning, it’s exam time at The Garage School.

The students have been preparing for these final exams for the past one month at least! All geared up and hopeful to be promoted to the next grade, these students are trying to give in their very best for the paper.

These exams end on7th April 2012 and the reports will be given on the 12th. The new academic year will start from 23rd April 2012.

Pakistan Day Celebrations

Sarah — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:22:30 +0000

The Garage School celebrated Pakistan Day on 23rd March 2012 with utmost zeal and fervor. The students of all the classes of the school participated in this program, which was organized by one of our senior teachers, Ms. Laida Rehman. Although it was exam time for the students and they were busy with their final revisions, the students managed to put up an amazing show that day. There were speeches and national songs prepared by the students. A tableau was also prepared by them which truly depicted the colors of Pakistan.

In the end, Mrs. Mustafa spoke to the students emphasizing the need for education in a developing country like Pakistan and how education can drastically change the lives of these students.

The littlest ones – singing the National Anthem

DACC Head to Toe Women’s Expo

Sarah — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:56:59 +0000

Organized by The Whole 9 Yards, an event management company, The Garage School had a stall sponsored by TW9Y for the DACC Women’s Expo which was held on 17th March 2012.

The teachers and students of The Garage School had prepared games, food and handicrafts to be put up on the stall. The response was wonderful with the young children attracted by the games and the ladies by the delicious food. Our school in-charge, Shabana Aziz won the third prize in the cooking contest for her spiced potatoes made with Mrs. Shabina Mustafa’s recipe’.

The older female students of The Garage School volunteered for the TW9Y fashion show as models and also as helpers for the event. The girls sang songs, danced on the stage, got dressed in clothes by the various designers there and were favored by sponsored gifts from several well known brands.

Hoping to participate in this annual Women’s Expo next year as well, events like these help The Garage School to promote those students whose lives it aims to upgrade.

Community Services: Our 2nd Success

Sarah — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:01:18 +0000

Zahid, a student of Grade 5 in our school has three other siblings who come to us for their education. Oldest of the 5, Zahid lives in a mere 9×9 room which includes a kitchen and a bathroom in this area. Space for only two bedsteads, this family of eight hardly has any room to sleep even on the bare floors. Zahid’s father works as a garden laborer and his earnings are hardly enough to support his family. His wife’s cousin who recently came from the village, also lives with them and studies in The Garage School Adult Literacy Program.

Mrs. Mustafa visited his house in January 2012 and after looking at the dearth of basic necessities in this house, she decided that this was the house that needed to be furnished on an urgent basis. First she sent a carpet (donated by someone) to his house so that they could at least have a carpeted covering on the floor when they slept. Next, she got his house whitewashed and then she wanted to get a mini study area made for him. But after thinking over how she could manage to find enough space in this tiny one-room house, she decided that the best solution was to give him a folding study table which after used can stand in a corner without taking up much space. This table will soon be bought and given to Zahid and his siblings.

Many more students and their families are looking up to Mrs. Mustafa to help them upgrade their homes. Help is desperately needed. These people are a part of The Garage School family and Mrs. Mustafa has vowed to hold their hands and take them beyond!

The Garage School at Earthen

Sarah — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:24:52 +0000

Arranged and sponsored by Sabahat Saqib of Limelight Favors, students of Grade 3 went to Earthen: Art Ceramic and Mosaic Studio for a workshop on handicrafts on 3rd March, 2012.

Sabahat is a volunteer at The Garage School who gives art and craft classes to our students on Saturdays. She took the students of Grade 3 for this workshop where they learned to craft different things by using recycled materials. They made things like

paper bags made from old newpapers.
show-flowers
small boxes for keepsakes, etc.

The students love Sabahat’s craft classes and they look forward to it every Saturday. Thank you Sabahat Saqib for this workshop as well as your voluntary craft classes.

DSRA Seminar

Sarah — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:32:55 +0000

The Defence Society Residents Association had organized a seminar on the 3rd of March 2012 at the Defence Central Library. The theme was “Education Provides Empowerment: Citizens’ Initiative” and hence individuals and organizations contributing in this field were invited to speak and give their presentations, highlighting their work. Mrs. Shabina Mustafa was invited as one of the speakers.

Her presentation was the first to be shown and her speech went very well. But the highlighting factor was that every speaker invited praised Mrs. Mustafa’s efforts to eradicate illiteracy from Neelum Colony and Shah Rasool Colony. The chief guest, Mr. Abdul Majeed, the Founder Director of National Foods went so far to say that it was Mrs. Mustafa’s idea of Adult Literacy in the afternoon that prompted him to go to The Citizens Foundation and suggest them to start the same program in a similar manner. At the moment, 150 TCF Schools have adopted Mrs. Mustafa’s idea of Adult Literacy program with many more under process!

It feels so good when someone appreciates all the efforts you put into upgrading the lives of others and Mrs. Mustafa was, I’m sure, extremely touched by the praise and appreciation she got from everyone. She was the hero of the day! CONGRATULATIONS!

Other speakers included Ms. Maria Paola of FESF, Ms. Sabina Khatri of The Kiran Ibtidaai School and Ms. Nisreen Akbar of the DSRA School.

Mrs. Shabina Mustafa’s Birth-ten-days!

Sarah — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:19:09 +0000

Mrs. Mustafa had been waiting for February for the past six months! I couldn’t understand how one birthday could be so special! I now know the reason. Mrs. Shabina Mustafa’s birthday falls on the 21st of February and the celebrations went on for a good 10-days.The events included a celebration of her birthday by the morning shift on the 21st of February, a lunch at Nihari Inn, Boat Basin, by the TGS staff for Mrs. Mustafa on the 22nd of February, a picnic organized by Mrs. Mustafa at Sandspit for the TGS staff on the 24th of February and a late lunch and birthday celebration by the afternoon shift on the 27th of February.

Mrs. Mustafa was overwhelmed by all the gifts, cards and flowers that she got! With tears in her eyes, she keeps on telling everyone about her birthday celebrations. She was especially touched by the generosity of the students of the Adult Literacy and Matric classes (afternoon shift) as although they celebrated her birthday a little late, each child brought something to eat for Mrs. Mustafa along with their cards and flowers. There was Biryani, Chaat, Chicken Chowmein, Spicy Potatoes, Potatoes and Peas, Chicken Patties, Chicken Korma, Fruit Custard, Cake and Drinks. There was so much to eat. These students for whom this kind of food is only a luxury which they sometimes cannot even afford on special occasions had been collecting money all year to make it a speacial day for Mrs. Mustafa! And it was!

I personally feel that no one’s birthday is celebrated with such fervor as Mrs. Mustafa’s and honestly, with the kind of work that she does…she deserves even more!