Language teaching and learning strategies for understanding and communication

Initiative facility for ALIF - active learning

Islamabad, Pakistan

The Alif project is a literacy project in Urdu. It is basically an Urdu adaptation of the program "Sesame Street", broadcast in 23 countries. The latter ones are themselves versions of the "Sesame Street", produced by the Children Television Workshops in the USA (CTW) and watched in approximately 90 countries. Financed by Pakistani expatriates, this project aims at filling the gap existing between learning and the development of knowledge, between privileged and unfavored children. All this is done without having to depend on donors, like many other projects working in the social area in Pakistan.

The key project Alif is a popular program of visual literacy, named Khul Ja Sim Sim (KJSS), which intends to make children get acquainted with marionette characters and the concepts of Sesame Street, within a perfectly Pakistani environment. Addressed to children of 3 to 7 years of age, belonging to poor families that constitute the structure of the society, the KJSS program is broadcast twice a day. Videocassettes and cassettes are available for the Urdu speakers throughout the world. At the same time and in order to complete the program, a great campaign has been launched throughout the country named "Watch-make-read", it involves book editors, community organizations and schools supporting this initiative on the same grounds.

The KJSS works on the multiple intelligence principle, which is based on the assertion that each learner is both intelligent and talented, regardless of his/her social milieu or language. The multiple intelligence acknowledges that there are sources other than the conventional classroom, and that the learning experiences can happen while watching television, visiting places or having common interactions with older people. In an attempt to take advantage of the increase of TV sets within Pakistani families (over one per family and this figure is expected to double in 6 years), the creators have focused their invention on this means of communication.

Mr. Mehnaz Akber
Education Specialist and principal Alif Advisor
Or
Mr. Muhammad Yusaf Cholan
National Coordinator
Federal Ministry of Education
Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail: pak@appollp.net.pk or pak@yahoo.com

Institutional Partners
ALIF NGO
Financial Partners
Pakistani Expatriates

The project has been launched in September 1999.

The preliminary impact evaluation, applied in 2000 to 400 children in rural and urban areas, has shown the interest for the targeted groups, and beyond the group of 7-11 years of age.