Growing up in Kashmir, I was exposed to the harsh realities of my homeland. In conflicts, everyone suffers. I witnessed lives on the brink and inequalities at each turn of life. Therefore, in 2018, I initiated this project from a small room in my house. This was my first window into Community service.According to the United Nations, COVID-19 caused learning losses in 4 out of 5 of the 104 countries studied. Without additional measures, 84 million young people will stay out of school, and approximately 300 million students will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills.
Improving learning outcomes has been a hard battle, and continues to be so. The alarmingly low quality of education is a concern as the kids who don’t have the foundational concepts of different sciences face problems grasping the concepts in secondary education, and therefore, they lag, which leads to illiteracy and innumeracy. This lack of quality education not only hinders individual growth but the growth of a country by impeding a skilled workforce and knowledgeable citizens.Primary, middle and high school students, especially from underserved communities, are affected by this problem. We have to take action now and care, as these crises demand immediate attention, as they threaten the future of these children and the nation as a whole.
The working themes of the project include Literacy and numeracy workshops, STEM exploration sessions, Critical thinking and problem-solving workshops, Creative arts and self-expression workshops, Creation of engaging student-friendly reading rooms and libraries, reaching out to out-of-school children and connecting them back to schools and professional counselling to teachers and students.
Till now, we have mentored more than 3000 students in such areas. In 2024, the project received its first grant of $900 from the Aspire Institute, USA. Organised workshops and piloted a program providing 563 books and other materials to 4617 students, achieving a 20% improvement in learning outcomes. Moreover, the project was selected for 12-month TEDx student programme, and recently, the project was declared as “We Make Change Start-Up” by We Make Change.The desired results of this project include Elevated Literacy & Numeracy, Holistic development, Educational Attainment, Community transformation, counselling and Reach.
We are developing a comprehensive education program that is accessible, engaging, and effective. Our goal is to create multi-faceted young leaders from these communities. By providing students with the necessary tools and support, we hope to empower them to become lifelong learners and active contributors to society. Ultimately, our goal is to create a ripple effect that extends beyond individual students and transforms entire communities. Our proposed solution is a comprehensive, innovative approach to education that leverages technology, community engagement, and expert guidance. By creating a network of schools, volunteers, NGOS, private companies, MNCS, and education boards, we aim to deliver individualised course materials, interactive workshops, and counselling to students. Our long-term goal is to transform this project into a self-sustaining organisation with a far-reaching impact and reach 1 million students by 2030. The different Quantifiable tools that we use in the project to monitor growth include Standardised Testing, observational Techniques, Learning Analytics and Peer and Self-Assessment. To better understand each learner, we also use Item Response Theory (IRT), Competency-Based Assessment, Rubrics, Criterion-Referenced Testing, Norm-Referenced Testing, Cognitive Diagnostic Models (CDM), Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM), Think-Aloud Protocols, Progress Monitoring, Ecological Assessment, etc.
Open yourself to leadership. Leadership is always about taking active roles. For me, it was never about tags. Being the founder of Noor ul Kitaab and a volunteer of different associations, I have always focused on contributing to the common goal. During my time with my non-profit initiative, I developed this practice of switching roles so that every contributor would experiment and see where they could contribute actively. My community service has always taught me to continuously learn and engage in discussions. I want to work with people who want to explore controversial topics despite personal stances. Diversity in phyllotaxy results in beautiful flowers. I always look to contribute ideas and grow together with the team. Character is power. The fluidity of water, to be able to shift into any container, sift through any cloth, and slip through any adversity, motivates me. My goal is to enhance my leadership skills and deepen my understanding of problem-solving techniques. I am confident in executing and improving the outreach of this project because of my perseverance and proven track record of improvements in underserved communities. Our actions will surely resonate with future generations.
