Adult Education
Knowledge is considered to be the backbone of successful humanity. With education, a person can discern the difference between the right and wrong way to live. The Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan recognizes the value and importance of educating all citizens, and is making a concerted effort to strengthen its educational system by offering formal and non-formal education throughout Punjab province. Adult education is available through the PEB boarding houses located in Pasrur, Sangla Hill, and Sargodha.
OBJECTIVES:
- To encourage PEB students to transfer their knowledge to individuals in their home communities.
- To bring positive change to women through an adult education program conducted by their own children.
- To give primary education in Urdu and Mathematics at a grassroots level so women are more capable of managing their homes.
- To create awareness about health and personal hygiene.
During summer vacation, PEB organized adult education programs in the communities surrounding Pasrur, Sangla Hill, and Sargodha. PEB trained 135 boarding house students in classes 7 to 10 to work as adult education teachers in their own communities. The main objectives were (1) to educate the less privileged in the community; (2) to give practical concepts about Mathematics and Urdu language at a grassroots level; and (3) to provide guidance through Biblical stories.
A total of 750 people in 47 different communities benefitted from the adult education program.
Success Story
Grace Bibi lives in Bareewala village, located in district Gujranwala. Her husband does not earn enough to support their large family so Grace has also been working for a football factory for eight years. Since the factory is far from her home, she brings the order home and completes the work there. An order collector comes to collect the footballs and pays her. She suspected that the collector was not paying her the right amount of money. Asma Ahmed from the boarding house at Christian Girls’ High School, Pasrur lives in Grace’s village. She told the women in the village that an Adult Education class would be conducted at a local church and they would have the opportunity to learn to read and write. Sixteen women registered; Grace Bibi was one of them. She learned basic Math and Accounting, including Addition, Subtraction, and Division. With this new knowledge, she is able to cross- check the accounts of the factory representative and ensure that proper payment is being made.
