In Pakistan, approximately 34-39% of children are out of school despite fundamental right
to education under Article 25-A of the Constitution and SDG4. These children, often in
undeserved or hard-to-reach areas especially in urban slums and peri urban areas, face
barriers that make regular schooling inaccessible. Kitab-Mahol Gari is a creative, mobile
learning innovation developed to overcome these barriers by bringing the school to the
children-addressing their social emotional skills and making them active happy learners.
Kitab-Mahol Gari (KMG) is a mobile learning hub equipped with eight components: books,
digital learning tools, a cinema ghar/house, arts & crafts kits, mind/board games, climate
change learning material/activity sheets, trained facilitators, and a solar panel. Once it
arrives at a community or school, the team identifies a suitable space and spreads a
vibrant mat on the ground. Sessions are held with 20-40 children at a time to ensure meaningful interaction. Ideally each school and community have a 6 to 8 week interactive
term in continuity to see progress; the tools of baseline foundational learning are used for
pre and post interventions for impact. A toolkit is developed in collaboration with the
LUMS School of Education by Mphil practicum students for monitoring and measurement.
Each one hour-long (90 minutes) session begins with a storytelling activity, followed by a
discussion to engage children in comprehension and reflection. The experience is enriched
through integrated programs such as ‘Gaayein aur Seekhain’ (Sing and Learn) and as well
as activities coinciding and aligned to national and international celebration days. KMG
delivers four learning strands on-site: Story-telling/active reading; Arts/crafts/STEM, Digital
learning, movies/music and board games.
We have signed MoUs with the Education Department and other public/private
organizations to conduct sessions in schools. With the Govt and School Education
Department in South Punjab (Multan city) we have mainstreamed one of the KMG ; trained
them to take it to schools and communities in need. This KMG is fully sustained by the
Government for its recurrent costs etc. We identify underserved areas—mostly slums—and
visit them regularly (schools/communities). We collect data and contacts of community
heads who help connect us to more areas. KMG goes regularly to the Child Welfare and
Protection Bureau/hospitals children wards. It also appears at public events and festivals of
the city; like Faiz Festival, Mela Chiraghaan (Sufi festival) Karachi/Lahore/ Literature
Festival/Arts Council Festivals and in the gardens, book fairs, and ancient walled city of
Lahore locations, offering sessions and expanding outreach. These festivals allow vital
networking with teachers, parents, and students. The KMG is also offering paid outreach
services to many private schools and institutions. KMG has also received media coverage
multiple times.
We have an open website that provides comprehensive information about (KMG),
including our contact details. Interested individuals, schools, or organizations can reach
out directly to us to explore collaboration. We also encourage people to "Spend a Day with
Kitab-Mahol Gari" — an immersive experience where they participate in a full session to
understand how we operate on the ground. Many organizations are trying to replicate its
cheaper versions eg. KG on ice cream vans on bicycles too.
The Commissioner or District Commissioner for each district /city provides a license for its
mobility anywhere in the city (this permit is critical for its functioning) without fines.
