Photo by Sa ' adia Khan
As word of the program spread , families outside of the pilot area were eager for their children to participate . Thanks to the generous support of CAI donors , Muallim was able to expand its broadcasting to reach students throughout GB province . Volunteer “ literacy mobilizers ” went into the communities to encourage families to tune in to the program . By the summer of 2020 , Muallim was reaching an estimated audience of 200,000 youngsters — nearly 100 times the number of children in the pilot .
Listeners were not limited to students whose classes had been interrupted by COVID . Significant numbers of children and parents who never had access to education were able to tune in and learn
“ The ( COVID-19 ) crisis motivated CAI , its partners , and the communities we serve to innovate and , as a result , the dark cloud of the pandemic may just have a silver lining .
“ — Alice Thomas , Executive Director , Central Asia Institute as well . For the first time in their lives , these children and adults were receiving a basic education .
Parents could supervise their children ’ s studies while doing their chores — picking up basic math , language skills , and better health and hygiene practices .
Families with internet access and an electronic device were able to livestream Muallim programming on the Facebook pages of Radio Pakistan ’ s local FM channels . Live streaming via the internet made the programming accessible to thousands more children living outside of GB . Families could download recordings of the program from Facebook and YouTube and listen or watch on their own schedule .
MUALLIM RADIO REACHES MILLIONS OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC , 22.8 million children in Pakistan were out of school , making Pakistan the country with the second-highest number of outof-school children in the world . Girls , for whom access to education is particularly challenging , make up the majority of Pakistan ’ s out-of-school children . While it is a priority of the Pakistani government to provide more children with access to education , meeting the educational needs of millions of people has been an enormous challenge .
Therefore , when word of Muallim ’ s success reached the national level , the Ministry of Education saw the opportunity and began broadcasting Muallim programming in every province in Pakistan , a country of roughly 200 million people .
The reach and impact of Muallim Radio is nothing short of extraordinary . Even once schools started to reopen after the initial COVID-related shutdown , Muallim Radio continued to broadcast relevant , engaging content . More recently , when schools were closed down again due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and the resurgence of COVID , the continuation of the program has allowed students and their parents to continue to tune in .
Beyond reaching students who were at home due to the pandemic , Muallim Radio has opened the door to education for millions of children and adults who had been waiting in the wings for a chance to learn . In the midst of a crisis that demanded creative solutions , a proven , accessible , and affordable tool of communication — the radio — became the innovation that kept students learning .
Thanks to the support of donors like you , CAI has been able to support Muallim Radio to help bring education to millions of Pakistani children and adults who continue to benefit from its educational programming . Kudos to our partners overseas ; to the teachers , civil service workers , and education leaders in Pakistan ; and to you for stepping up during a crisis and keeping education alive . Y
FALL 2021 JOURNEY OF HOPE | 7