Young Rohayl sets up solar powered night SLUM school in Faisalabad
FAISALABAD: A 23 years old young Pakistani is making a difference by contributing his positive energies towards society. According to a report published by World Economic Forum (WEF), the 23-year old educationist Rohayl Varind set up two branches of Slum School in Faisalabad, The city of Faisalabad is located at some 300 kilometres south of capital Islamabad, offering night classes to children..
The SLUM – Students Learning Under Moon – School project was initiated by Rohayl Varind is an International Award Winning Entrepreneur, introducing an alternative education system for 23 million out of school children living in Pakistan. It is also called solar night school as solar fans and lights are used to teach the children.
When the night arrives the study starts at Rohayl’s school that runs from 7pm to 9pm, with Varind teaching the kids English, Urdu, math, and science. Each week, he splits his time equally between the two branches of the school, which have a total of over 100 students. Sometimes, volunteers—his friends and other activists in Pakistan—come in to teach computers, Taekwondo, graphic design, and other subjects. These students can easily join the school after their work due to its timing.
Slum School is a system of education designed for the deserving yet underprivileged students. Since its inauguration in 2016, it is teaching more than 100 students with free provisions of food, bags, books, clothes, sports items and stationery.
The school not only teaches the basics to children from underprivileged backgrounds but also teaches them basic ethics and etiquette.
The classes take place outdoors with just a whiteboard for the teacher to write on and a piece of cloth for the students to sit and learn.
Rohayl, who is the founder of Pakistan’s first labour school, has taken it upon himself to go to the school for at least two hours on a daily basis.
The quality of education at the Slum School is in no way enough to negate the need for a formal education, but the effort alone is commendable.
Rohayl Varind also argues that “the main motive is to bring knowledge and basic level education to otherwise deprived children and adults, who would not be having even an inkling of or just meager knowledge or education otherwise”.
Slum School has also been featured by numerous international and Pakistani media.
When asked about how he supports his venture and how should people contact him if they want to contribute, he said that there are no permanent donors.
“Moreover, we don’t take cash donations from anyone and would prefer if people buy a board and a market themselves and start teaching unprivileged kids around them, like their maids, the security guards, their children, and so on,” he added.
Rohayl Varind is an International Award Winning Entrepreneur, Innovator, Social Activist & Educationist. Winner of World Summit Youth Award 2014-2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he was declared victorious from amongst 1898 submissions, spanning 138 countries, impressing a panel of 40 jurors from all corners of the globe. He is first Pakistani to receive youth award in Brazil. He is the founder of several welfare projects as well as entrepreneurial ventures. He has initiated Pakistan’s first “Solar Night School” & labour school. He is also the creator of Pakistan’s first ‘Solar School Bags’. His efforts for this school has received appreciation world over.
The story has also been published in our Print Edition