Mission:
Developments in Literacy (DIL) educates and empowers underprivileged students, especially girls, by operating student-centered model schools and provid
es high-quality professional development to teachers and principals across Pakistan.
Vision:
DIL believes that no child in Pakistan, no matter how poor or underprivileged should be denied access to quality education. All children should have equal opportunities to reach their full potential and contribute towards the socio-economic betterment of their communities.
Why is DIL Different?
- Focus on Girls’ Education: 65% of DIL’s student population is female. The national literacy rate for women in Pakistan stands at 38%.
- Addressing the Needs of Rural Educators and Students
- Child-Centered Education: Child-centered education emphasizes creativity and critical thinking skills. DIL’s approach results in improved student retention and learning outcomes.
- Activity-Based Lesson Plans: In this inquiry-based approach, students develop knowledge and understanding through learning activities.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: The key to the success of DIL’s projects is a robust monitoring framework and complete financial transparency.
What does DIL do?
1)Child Friendly Schools:
DIL builds, operates and manages 124 child-friendly school campuses across three provinces of Pakistan, providing education for students from Nursery through Grade 10 (Matric Level). DIL school environments are safe spaces for students to learn from trained teachers with appropriate and adequate resources. With well-ventilated classrooms, secure boundary walls and private latrine facilities, all DIL schools meet cultural and practical demands to best support students’ physical, social and emotional well-being.
DIL is committed to providing a girl-friendly education, with a female student enrollment rate of 67% and females comprising nearly 90% of school staff. A DIL education is based on a child-centered approach with an emphasis on gender sensitivity and inclusiveness for all. DIL provides need-based scholarships for students seeking higher education opportunities, particularly for girls attending schools far from their homes. DIL schools have become learning centers for students, families, and communities.
2) Teacher Training:
DIL’s Teacher Training program provides high quality professional development opportunities for teachers working in the underserved areas of Pakistan. Extending its services to both its own network of teachers and to other government and non-governmental organizations working in the education sector, DIL is among the few NGOs in Pakistan that has established a well-organized system for building professional competencies for teachers and principals. DIL believes in continuous and ongoing teacher development, where concepts are reinforced and content is continuously upgraded to meet the changing environment and needs of the population.
3) Libraries and IT
The DIL Reading and Libraries Program consists of classroom materials, teacher training, access to books and activities designed to foster a love of reading. Our localized teaching and learning materials comprise a systematic approach to literacy instruction including alphabetic principles, phonemic awareness, reading fluently, vocabulary development, and comprehension. The teacher training aspect of our program is based on research-based pedagogy, follows the Pakistan National Standards, is tailored to build the capacity of rural teachers and is reinforced in both Urdu and English Language Arts. We provide students with access to books through DIL school libraries, which also serves as the site for various reading activities, including reading assessments to monitor growth in reading.
DIL’s IT Program for Schools initiative is focused on reducing the digital divide and improve the quality of education by providing a technology-assisted learning environment, interactive learning resources and capacity building of local staff members. The core objectives of this initiative are:
- Develop Technology Literacy among rural teachers and students
- Integrate Information Technology into all curriculum areas
- Improve 21st Century Skills of teachers and students
- Provide basic Computer Skills for today’s global marketplace.