Young heroes: Meet the teenagers running street schools in Karachi
The school run by a sister-brother duo has helped numerous street children gain access to education. Photo: Facebook Page of The Street School by Hasan/Shireen
By Hammad Ghafoor
Nelson Mandela once said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
This lesson has unfortunately been largely ignored by a majority of policymakers in Pakistan. But while the government has not yet made much of an effort in improving education across the country, there are numerous dedicated individuals that have started small scale initiatives to impart knowledge to those who cannot afford it.
One such initiative is The Street School in Karachi, where a brother-sister team of Hasan and Shireen have been helping poor child vendors gain an education.
Shireen with The Street School kids. Photo: Facebook Page of The Street School by Hasan/Shireen
In an interview with Dunya News, the teenage founders of the initiative share their inspiration to start the school, the threats they faced from those who exploit child labor and how they manage to balance their own studies alongside the responsibilities of running a rapidly expanding organisation.
Hasan and Shireen say that they got the idea for the initiative when a young street girl came up to them. Only instead of asking for money as most street children do, she asked them to help her study. "She said, ‘Kya aap mujhay parhain gey?’ [Will you teach me?]. And that is how it all began.”
This inspired the brother and sister to open up a school on an empty plot where they could teach the girl as well as others like her. At first The Street School had only two pupils, but as time went on their numbers rapidly expanded and now the school teaches around 200 children.
Hasan, Shireen and other volunteers with their students. Photo: Facebook Page of The Street School by Hasan/Shireen
The school has also physically expanded and now has two branches. One is on main Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, next to Khadda market, and the other one is on Karachi’s famous main Seaview road. Hasan and Shireen say that they would also like to open up an institute where children could gain higher education while offering them financial aid, but admitted that such an idea could only be pursued if it had public support.
As for any endorsement received by the initiative, the brother-sister duo said that Pakistani cricketing sensation Shahid Afridi had visited the school last year in September and approved of the work being done. When asked about the response The Street School got from the general public, Hasan and Shireen said while there were many people who admired them for what they were doing, there were also those who criticised the initiative.
But those are not the only challenges. Their work comes with far more serious threats. They share that they have received numerous threats from mafias involved in exploitation of street children. “Our courage is enough to tolerate any sort of threats,” they answer affirmatively.
When questioned about how the school managed to support itself, Hasan and Shireen said that at the beginning the institute had been funded by their friends and family, but now there were also local citizens who supported The Street School.
Photo: Facebook Page of The Street School by Hasan/Shireen
Other than street children, a few adults also attend The Street School. Hasan and Shireen say that most of these adults are parents of the children who attend the school and teaching them was very motivating. However, not all parents are so appreciative. They recall that at the beginning of the initiative many parents were reluctant to send their kids to school as they wanted them to work on the streets in order to make money. To counter this The Street School gave out cash incentives and other financial aids so that the parents could be convinced to send their kids to school.
Both Hasan and Shireen are themselves students. They say that they give up their free time in order to concentrate on The Street School and their own studies. When asked about their plans for the future Hasan and Shireen state that they want to build an institution that will give higher education to street children but reiterated that such an idea could only be successful with further assistance.
While countless people would resort to simply taking pity when they look at street children, Hasan and Shireen are working to make an actual difference – to bring education to those children neglected by both the society and the state.
Independence Day celebrations at the Street School. Photo: Facebook Page of The Street School by Hasan/Shireen
