ROLE OF CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOL IN LEARNING OF

PRIMARY LEVEL CHILDREN

SUBMITTED BY

Mehvesh Mustafa 17010655

Hina Fatima 17010635

Ali Naqash 170106119

SUPERVISED BY

Mr. Asghar Ali

Al Noor College of Education, Head Rajkan

(Department of Educational Training)

THE ISLAMIA UNIVERSITY OF BAHAWALPUR

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The Islamia University of Bahawalpur

APPROVAL FORM
The research project is titled as “Role of Child Friendly School in Learning of
Primary Level Children”

Proposed and submitted by: MEHVESH MUSTAFA Roll No. 1701065

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of B.ed. (1.5. year) is here by
accepted.

Supervisor: _______________________ (Signature)

Evaluator: ________________________ (Signature)

Dated: _____________________
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DECLARATION
I MEHVESH MUSTAFA daughter of: GHULAM MUSTAFA Roll No: 17010655. A
student of B.Ed. (1.5 year) program (Al-Noor Post Graduate College) The Islamia
University of Bahawalpur do hereby solemnly declare that the research project entitled “
Role of Child Friendly School in Learning of Primary Level Children” Submitted by
me in partial fulfillment of B.Ed. (1.5 year) program, is my original work, and has not
been submitted or published earlier. I also solemnly declare that it shall not, in further, be
submitted by me for obtaining any other degree from this or any other university or
institution.

I also understand that if evidence of plagiarism is found in my thesis/dissertation at any

stage, even after the award of a degree, the work may be cancelled, and the degree
revoked.

________________________
Signature of Candidate

Date: ___________________

______________________
Name of Candidate
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Research Project Submission Approval Form

(Supervisor)

Research Project entitled: Role of Child Friendly School in Learning of Primary

Level Children Submitted by MEHVESH MUSTAFA Roll No.: 17010655

Program: B.Ed (1.5 year) Program

Has been read by me and found satisfactory regarding its quality, content, language,
format, citations, bibliographic style, and consistency, and thus fulfills the qualitative
requirements of this study. It is ready for submission to Islamia University of Bahawalpur
for evaluation.

________________________
Name of Supervisor

________________________
Signature of Supervisor

Dated: ___________________
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ABSTRACT

Among all levels of education, Early Childhood Education and Development

(ECED) is considered most critical level for social (relationship to others), emotional (self-
image and security), cognitive (thinking and reasoning) and physical development of
children. Therefore, the teachers of early years need to play a significant role in the
teaching and learning process through providing a friendly environment in their schools.

The study employed a case study approach. Information was gathered through a
combination of methods, which included classroom observation, field notes, document
analysis, focus group and semi structured interviews. The focus group participants and the
interviewers were selected from a variety of stakeholders, which included parents,
students, teachers and head teachers from public sector to get a comprehensive and
representative analysis. Informal conversation with different stakeholders and self-
reflections contributed to clarify different aspects of the issues and findings. In this study I
explored teachers’ role in developing child friendly environment in ECE classrooms.
Thus, two female ECE classroom teachers from a public secondary school in Gilgit –
Baltistan of Pakistan were the primary participants of the study and they taught in early
setup.

The study revealed that institutional support and monitoring teachers` personal
prosperity to learning for improving pupils’ learning, the prior ECED learning experiences
and pedagogical content knowledge play an important role in engaging teachers in
developing there thinking and searching practice. The contribution of this thesis is that
institutional and also cultural influences are local and derive from the Pakistani content.
So have a particular significance for designing teacher’s development Programs.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

None of the individual is perfect or could claim that I am perfect, this is the reason why
every individual must admit that without the help of ALLAH Almighty a man could do
nothing except the willingness of ALLAH. All of us bow our heads in front of ALLAH &
ask for help. I am also obliged to our respected teacher Sir Asghar Ali who guided &
helped me in completion of work in a fine way.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CFS Child-Friendly School

EFA Education for All

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

NGO Non-governmental organization

AIDS acquired immune deficiency syndrome

HIV human immunodeficiency virus

TARC Training and Resource Centre. Centre of monitoring and training

activities for Child Friendly Schools.
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Table of Contents
ROLE OF CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOL IN LEARNING OF PRIMARY LEVEL
CHILDREN................................................................................................................................1

LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................................................11

Chapter No.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................12

Background.................................................................................................................................14

Statement of the Problem..........................................................................................................16

Research Objectives...................................................................................................................16

Research Question......................................................................................................................16

Significance.................................................................................................................................16

Scope..........................................................................................................................................17

Limitations of Child Friendly Schools......................................................................................19

Chapter No.2 Literature Review................................................................................................21

Child Friendly School..................................................................................................................21

Prediction, Prevention, and Preparation for a Safe, Child-Friendly School.................................35

Factors that affect quality of education and Child Friendly Schools...........................................39

Improving Child Friendly Schools................................................................................................41

Benefits of Child Friendly Schools...............................................................................................44

Chapter No. 3 Research Methodology.......................................................................................50

Chapter No. 4 Results and Discussions.......................................................................................52

Table 4.1 Teachers’ gender..................................................................................................53

Table 4.2 Teacher age bracket..............................................................................................53

Table 4.3 Boys and girls are treated equally...............................................................................53

Table 4.5 Teachers’ responses on whether there were school-going age children who had
never enrolled in school.............................................................................................................54

Table 4.6 Child - Friendly School encourages safe and protective.........................................55

environment...............................................................................................................................55

Table 4.7 Child- Friendly School encourages attendance....................................................56

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Table 4.8 Pupils have access to safe clean water for drinking and washing.............................56

Table 4.9 Safety problems in schools.......................................................................................57

Table 4.10 Boys and girls are treated equally.............................................................................57

4.5 Provision of sanitation facilities............................................................................................57

Table 4.11 Head teachers’ responses on separate toilets for boys and girls............................58

Table 4.12 Head teachers’ responses on the provision of toilets for children with disabilities58

Table 4.13 School buildings friendly to children with disability................................................58

Table 4.14 Child Friendly School encourages enrolment.........................................................59

Table 4.15 The schools’ disability friendly facilities.................................................................59

CHAPTER NO 5: CONCLUSION....................................................................................................60

5.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................60

5.2 Summary.............................................................................................................................60

5.3 Findings..............................................................................................................................61

5.4 Discussion...........................................................................................................................62

5.5 Conclusion............................................................................................................................63

5.6 Recommendations..............................................................................................................65

Bibliography..............................................................................................................................67
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Key Principles of CFS

Table 2.2 Standards of Child Friendly School

Table 4.1 Teachers’ gender

Table 4.2 Teacher age bracket
Table 4.4 Head teachers’ responses on availability of disability- friendly
facilities such as ramps and stairways in classrooms.
Table 4.5 Teachers’ responses on whether there were school-going age children who
had never enrolled in school
Table 4.6 Child - Friendly School encourages safe and protective environment.
Table 4.7 Child- Friendly School encourages attendance.
Table 4.8 Pupils have access to safe clean water for drinking and washing
Table 4.9 Safety problems in schools
Table 4.10 Boys and girls are treated equally
Table 4.11 Head teachers’ responses on separate toilets for boys and girls
Table 4.12 Head teachers’ responses on the provision of toilets for children with
disabilities.
Table 4.13 School buildings friendly to children with disability
Table 4.14 Child Friendly School encourages enrolment.
Table 4.15 The schools’ disability friendly facilities.
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Chapter No.1: Introduction

On any given day, more than one billion of the world‘s children go to school.
Whether they sit in buildings, in tents or even under trees, ideally they are learning,
developing and enriching their lives. For too many children, though, school is not always a
positive experience. Some endure difficult conditions, like extremely hot or cold
temperatures in the classroom or primitive sanitation. Others lack competent teachers and
appropriate curricula. Still others may be forced to contend with discrimination,
harassment and even violence. These conditions are not conducive to learning or
development, and no child should have to experience them.
A school is considered ―child friendly when it provides a safe, clean, healthy
and protective environment for children. At Child Friendly Schools, child rights are
respected, and all children including children who are poor, disabled, living with HIV or
from ethnic and religious minorities are treated equally.
A Child Friendly School is a school that recognizes and nurtures the achievement
of children's basic rights. Child Friendly Schools work with all commitment-holders,
especially parents/guardians of students, and values them any kinds of contributions they
can make in seeking all children to go to school, in the development of a learning
environment for children and effective learning quality according to the children's current
and future needs. The learning environments of Child Friendly Schools are characterized
by equity, balance, freedom, solidarity, non-violence and a concern for physical, mental
and emotional health.
These lead to the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes,
Program, and UNICEF supports implementation of the CFS framework in 95countries and
promotes it at the global and regional levels.
Bernard , (2003). The framework for rights-based, child-friendly educational
systems and schools characterized as "inclusive, healthy and protective for all children,
effective with children, and involved with families and communities - and children"
(Shaeffer,1999). Within this framework:
o The school is a significant personal and social environment in the lives of its
students. A child-friendly school ensures every child an environment that is
physically safe, emotionally secure and psychologically enabling.
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o Teachers are the single most important factor in creating an effective and inclusive
classroom.
o Children are natural learners, but this capacity to learn can be undermined and
sometimes destroyed. A child-friendly school recognizes, encourages and supports
children's growing capacities as learners by providing aschool culture, teaching
behaviours and curriculum content that are focused on learning and the learner.
o The ability of a school to be and to call itself child-friendly is directly linked to the
support, participation and collaboration it receives from families.
o Child-friendly schools aim to develop a learning environment in which children are
motivated and able to learn. Staff members are friendly and welcoming to children
and attend to all their health and safety needs.
Well-being and happiness, an improved sense of belonging and better quality of
life for those engaged with the organization. Indirectly, it may result in better levels of
academic achievement. It can also alter some of the more negative aspects of school life
by reducing bullying and harassment, injury, truancy and absenteeism. It has the potential
to diminish stereotyping and prejudice, fear, anxiety, depression and loss of motivation.
Furthermore, feelings of well-being during childhood provide sound foundations for
positive health in later adolescence and adulthood; and students working in a supportive
school environment where they feel a sense of attachment are more likely to respect their
surroundings.
You have designed this symposium to be a platform for cooperation and
information sharing. Over the next three days you will discuss and take action on six
goals. These goals range from the nature of safety in the educational environment to best
practices for making schools safe. My task is to provide a framework for this discussion.
The Child Friendly Schools framework fits seamlessly with your goals. This is a
framework that everyone at all levels can use as you work proactively to ensure that all
children, especially the most vulnerable children in pakistan, can attend school in a safe
environment.
The solutions are not always simple, but the Child-Friendly School approach can
help you do the work – systematically and system-wide, one school at a time.The 1990s
was the decade of Education for All (EFA). The World Declaration on Education for All
(Jomtien 1990) envisioned that "Every person – child, youth and adult – shall be able to
benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs.” The
global community reunited in Dakar, April 2000, to assess progress of the EFA decade
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and to renew its commitment to Education for All by 2015. Strategies for meeting this
goal are outlined in the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting our
Collective Commitments, and include the creation of safe, healthy, inclusive and equitably
resourced educational environments conducive to excellence in learning. Specifically, the
Dakar Framework calls for policies and codes of conduct that enhance the physical, social
and emotional health of teachers and learners.
WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank have agreed upon a core group of
cost effective components of a school health, hygiene and nutrition Program, which can
form the basis for joint action. Working together to Focus Resources for Effective School
Health (FRESH), the agencies call for the following four components to be made available
in all schools:
o Health-related policies in schools that help to ensure a safe and
secure physical environment and a positive psycho-social environment, and address
all types of school violence, such as the abuse of students, sexual harassment and
bullying.
o Safe water and sanitation facilities, as first steps in creating a
healthy school environment.
o .Skills-based health education that focuses on the development of
knowledge, attitudes, values and life skills needed to make, and act on, the most
appropriate and positive decisions concerning health.
o School-based health and nutrition services which are simple, safe
and familiar, and address problems that are prevalent and recognized as important
in the community

1.1 Background
Significant progress has been made in the past decade toward fulfilling Millennium
Development Goal 2 (MDG 2) – universal access and completion of primary school by
2015 – even though the related interim target of MDG 3 – gender parity in primary and
secondary education by 2005 – was not achieved globally. Many countries have scored
impressive gain in both enrolment and closing the gender gap in education.
Recent data show a decrease in the member of children not enrolled in school, from
94 millions in 2002 to 75 million in 2006. however, far too many children who are
enrolled still fail to complete their education, dropping out due to poor school quality and
other factors . at any given time, the number of children attending school is far less then
the number enrolled, since dropping out of school is not immediately reflected in
enrolment data.
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An estimated 115 million primary school age children were not attending school in
2002 (UNESCOUIS & UNICEF,2005), and around 101 million were not attending school
in 2006 (UNICEF, forthcoming) . In addition to poor education quality, such persistent
challenges to school attendance as child labour, HIV and AIDS, civil conflict, natural
disasters, chronic environmental degradation and deepening poverty continue to threaten
gains in school enrolment and completion rates in many countries.
The challenge in education is not simply to get children in school, but also to
improve the overall quality of schooling and address threats to participation. If both
quality and access are tackled, children who are enrolled in primary school are likely to
continue, complete the full cycle, achieve expected learning outcomes and successfully
transition to secondary school.
There is an organic link between access and quality that makes the latter an integral
part of any strategy for achieving the education MDGs and Education for All (EFA) goals.
School quality must therefore be of central interest to policymakers and practitioners
concerned with the low primary education survival and completion rates in various regions
of the World. In west and Central Africa, for instance, only 48.2 per cent of the children
enrolled in the first grade survive to the last grade of primary school. The comparable
survival rate for countries in Eastern and southern Africa is 64.7 per cent.
These trends have given rise to concerted efforts to tackle the issue of quality in
basic education worldwide, with such agencies as UNICEF intensifying their work to
address education quality more systematically. It is in this context that UNICEF”s strategy
and programming have evolved over time, culminating in child friendly school (CFS)
models as comprehensive ways of dealing with all factors affecting quality.
Like most reality- based innovations, the CFS models are not simply an abstract
concept or a rigid methodological prescription. They represent pragmatic pathway towards
quality in education that have evolved (and are still evolving), from the principle of
education as a human right to a child-centered ideology that regards the best interest of the
child as paramount at all times. This makes the child central to the educational process and
the main beneficiary of key decisions in education. But it does not mean that CFS models
are inflexible ideological blueprints. Because they are grounded in the reality of resource
constraints and lack of capacity for designing and implementing ideal solutions they
adhere to the principle of ‘progressive realization’ of children’s right to quality education.
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CFS advocates are willing to negotiate priorities regarding what is in the best
interest of the child and make tradeoffs based on what is feasible for schools and education
systems to accomplish within a given time frame, using available resources and capacities.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

“Child Friendly Schools” is the main statement of the topic. As evident
from the title purpose of the study is to determine the Child Friendly
Schools.

1.3 Research Objectives

Objectives of the study are as follows:
o To achieve the national education goals
o To respond to the Millennium Development Goals
o To achieve the goals and targets of the national plan of Education
for All (EFA)
o To achieve the strategic plan for education (ESP) and education
sector support program each year’s rolling plan.

1.4 Research Question

 What is Child Friendly school ?
 Why it is important now a days ?
 What is the purpose of Child Friendly School?
 What are the benefits of Child Friendly Schools?
 What are the important factors that are necessary for Child
Friendly Schools?

1.5 Significance
The outcome of this study is expected to generate useful information
to gauge policy strategies regarding what CFS implies and/or requires at various levels,
specifically:
• At the community level, for school staff, parents and other community members, the
results of the study may serve both as a goal and means for community mobilization
around education and may also be used as a tool for localized self assessment, planning,
implementation and monitoring of outputs in the best interest of children and parents.
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• At the national and regional levels, for development partners and civil society, the
outcome of the study may serve as a normative goal for devising policy and Program
responses, leading to child-friendly systems and environments to succeed in achieving the
MDGs. It may also serve as a means for enhancing collaborative programming, leading to
greater resource allocation, and it could be used as a key component in staff training
targeted towards quality improvement.
• At this level, I am interested in sharing Pakistan’s CFS experience and making the
findings part of the larger compilation of case studies in different countries being
coordinated by headquarters, with the aim of feeding into the existing body of knowledge
about CFS around the world. This study could contribute to the baseline database against
which future progress could be measured.

1.6 Purpose, Scope and Limitations of Child Friendly Schools

o Purpose
The purpose of a CFS model is to move schools and education systems progressively
towards quality standards, addressing all elements that influence the wellbeing and rights
of the child as a learner and the main beneficiary of teaching, while improving other
school functions in the process. Quality standards should make it possible for all children
to access school, survive from grade to grade and complete the cycle on time; they should
also provide an enriched educational experience through which students can thrive,
develop and achieve their full potential.
To this end, CFS models are concerned with harnessing the full involvement and
support of all parties in a position to facilitate children’s right to a quality education. These
parties, or ‘duty bearers’, include parents, communities, teachers, school heads, education
planners and civil society groups, as well as local and national governments and their
external partners. Their involvement enables schools and education systems to provide the
conditions and resources necessary for achieving the quality standards CFS models
envision.

Scope
As for scope, CFS models embrace a concept of quality that goes well beyond
pedagogic excellence and performance outcomes. The focus is on the needs of the child as
a whole, not just on the ‘school bits’ that educators traditionally feel responsible for. The
scope of a CFS model includes multidimensional coverage of quality and a holistic
concern for the child’s needs.
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In pursuit of quality, therefore, CFS models cut across sectors to address the
child’s needs comprehensively. Within this intersectoral and holistic framework, CFS
models are concerned as much with the health, safety, security, nutritional status and
psychological well-being of the child as they are with teacher training and the
appropriateness of the teaching methods and learning resources used for schooling. They
have as much to do with promoting child participation and creating space for children to
express their views and opinions as they do with helping children learn to follow rules and
regulations or show deference to school authorities.
Quality in these models comes not only from the efficiency of setting the school
apart in a special place as a community that pursues learning, but also from the
effectiveness of linking the school to a wider community from which it derives its sense of
engagement with reality and confirms the relevance of its curriculum.
Against this background, quality needs to be evaluated along several dimensions,
including:

(a) How well boys and girls are prepared to start and continue school;
(b) How well they are received by schools and teachers prepared to meet their needs and
uphold their rights;
(c) How far their general health and well-being are addressed as an integral part of
promoting learning;
(d) How safe the schools are as places for learning and how completely they provide an
overall gender sensitive environment that is conducive to learning;
(e)The extent to which schools and teachers respect the rights of children and operate in
the best interest of the child;
(f) The extent to which child-centred teaching methods are embraced as good practice and
standard methodology by teachers and the school;
(g) How far child participation is encouraged as standard practice in classroom
interaction as well as in the broader operation and management of the school;
(h) The extent to which effort and resources are invested in creating stimulating
classrooms that support active learning for all;
The availability of adequate environmentally sustainable facilities, services and supplies
that support the needs of the whole child and also of all children;
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(j) The use of pedagogy that challenges and dismantles discrimination based on gender,
ethnicity or social background
Proponents of CFS maintain that all of these factors, interacting in a dynamic and organic
manner, constitute the ‘packaged solution’ that can be confidently described as a ‘child-
friendly school’.

Limitations of Child Friendly Schools

A research like this one falls in the sphere of naturalistic inquiry that obtains
information using qualitative techniques which emphasized on use of observation and
interviewing respondents in their natural environment. This inquiry required long periods
of time which the researcher did not have. However, through triangulation of the research
instruments, an attempt was made to resolve the anomalies hence obtaining plausible
findings.

1.7 Delimitations of Child Friendly Schools

Delimitations of the Study The study delimited itself to public primary schools in
Kikuyu district. It was also delimited to the guidelines in the CFS Monitoring Manual that
touched on primary school level of education. All government policy guidelines that affect
Child-Friendly environment also formed basis upon which questionnaire items were
drawn.

1.8 Research Methodology

The study adopted the descriptive survey design. Gay (1981), defines descriptive
survey as a process of collecting data in order to test the hypothesis or to answer questions
concerning the current status of the subjects. Orodho (2008), Brog and Gall (1989), noted
that descriptive survey is intended to provide statistical information about aspects of
education that interest policy makers and educators. It was appropriate in this study as it
aimed at establishing the status of the schools with regard to the implementation of Child-
Friendly School Program.

1.8.1 Population
Data was collected through a combination of tools, which included observations,
focus group and semi structured interviews. The focus group participants and the
interviewees were selected from a variety of stakeholders, which included parents,
students, teachers and head teachers from public sector to get a comprehensive and
representative analysis. Informal conversations with different stakeholders and self
reflections contributed to clarify different aspects of the issues and findings. The approach
 20

of using multiple methods or data sources in research is called ‘triangulation’ (Cohen,

2000), which enables a greater understanding of complex human behavior and provides
multiple perspectives, (Denscombe, 1998).
1.8.2 Research Instrument
Data was collected through a combination of tools, which included observations,
focus group and semi structured interviews.
1.8.3 Data Collection
Data is collected from a variety of stakeholders, which included parents, students,
teachers and head teachers.
1.8.4 Data Analysis
The focus group participants and the interviewees were selected from a variety of
stakeholders, which included parents, students, teachers and head teachers from public
sector to get a comprehensive and representative analysis.

1.9 Operational Definition(s)

Child refers to a person of between 6-13 years of age.
Child-Friendly School refers to a learning environment in which children benefit not only
from learning but also from others whose needs are taken into consideration.
Children with special needs refer to children with physical sensory, emotional or
intellectual challenges. They may experience difficulties in learning such children are
often excluded from learning in regular schools.
Classroom refers to the actual place in which children come together to learn with the
help of a teacher.
Drop-outs refers to primary school pupils who have withdrawn from school before
completing primary education.
Guidelines refer to recommended practices that the school should undertake to meet the
Child-Friendly School education.
Learner refers to anyone who is participating in formal or non-formal learning at primary
school level.
Physical infrastructure refers to any built facility for use in the school to facilitate the
provision of services.
School refers to any formal or non-formal learning environment where primary school
level of education takes place.
NPA Stands for National Plan of Action
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Chapter No.2: Literature Review

2.1 Theoretical Framework
Child Friendly School
What is Child Friendly School?

Gender
Inclusive of all children
Sensitive

Child Friendly
Academically School
effective and
Healthy, safe and
relevant for Towards a holistic development protective
children of children environment

Involving active
participation of Instructional
children,families and leadership
communities

Figure 2.1

  A Child Friendly School or a quality school promotes cooperative and active

learning, tolerance, caring, creativity, eliminates corporal punishment and above all,
self-esteem of children. It provides education based on the reality of the children lives
and works in close consultation with partners. Its works to prevent bullying and other
forms of violence in school thus creating a Child Friendly Learning Environment
(CFLE)).
The Child-Friendly School (CFS) Program is a simple one at heart: it demands that
a school should operate in the best interest of the child. Educational environments must be
safe, healthy and protective, well endowed with adequate facilities and appropriate
 22

physical, emotional and social conditions to enhance learning. Learning environments

must be a haven for children to learn and grow (UNICEF, 2006).
Child-Friendly School environment build upon the assets that children bring from
their homes and communities, respecting their unique backgrounds and circumstances. At
the same time, the CFS model compensates for any shortcomings in the home and
community that might make it difficult for children to enroll in school, attend regularly
and succeed in their studies. For example, if there is a food shortage in the community,
schools feeding Programs can provide children both with the nutrition they so critically
need and the incentive to stay in school and get an education. The CFS model also builds
partnerships between schools and the community. Since children have the right to be fully
prepared to become active and productive citizens, their learning must be linked to the
wider community.
More related to the context of this particular research Mustard (2002) posit that
poor development during early childhood years affects key aspects of brain
development. For example, it affects all body tissues during life including the immune
system, and the brain development influences the cognition, imagination, behavior and
skills.
Children can get all these skills when they have a friendly environment in their
school and only the teachers can create this environment if they are competent and
knowledgeable. Therefore, the role of the practitioners and teachers in early childhood
education is complex and teachers have to keep pace with the current knowledge and
teaching strategies on an ongoing basis. The educational, social and cultural changes
require teachers to equip themselves with the required skills, knowledge and teaching
techniques to be more effective in their profession. Bath (1990, p. 49) postulates that,
‘probably nothing in the school has more impact on students in terms of skills
development, self confidence or classroom behavior than the personal and professional
growth of their teachers’.
The classroom is not simply a place in which students learn academic lessons. It
is a social context in which students learn social lessons such as friendship, cooperation
and appropriate behaviour. All this takes place provided a teacher has the capacity to
attract the students by demonstrating care and making the classroom fun for young
children (Lee, 2006). According to Edgington (1998) the starting point of making the
classroom child friendly is to capture the interest of a child and then to sustain and
extend it. This can lead to curiosity among the children for further learning.
 23

In a child friendly environment, the most important thing for teachers is

viewing children as competent and strong rather than needy and weak. In such a
situation, teachers avoid corporal punishment because they believe that it is very
dangerous for children. Similarly, Jamal (2007) believes that physical punishment
hinders learning and causes irreparable psychological damage, including confidence and
self-esteem. (Kaplan, 2006) adds that corporal punishment has negative emotional
effects. It can cause depression, anxiety, and other emotional problems. The writer
further elaborates that those who were beaten in their childhood were more prone to
suicide, violence against others and criminal activity. This shows that corporal
punishment not only hurts a child’s body but also it causes mental torture and damages
the whole personality of a child. This violence can be curtailed or eliminated through
laws enacted by the state, mutual co-operation between parents and teachers and proper
training of teachers.
The attitudes of teachers and students are also very important in a child
friendly environment. They have to be friendly towards the children. Practitioners
working with young children set the scene for the emotional environment that the
children play in. It is important that they are able to represent a secure world in which
children are encouraged to take risks knowing that they will be supported if necessary
(Skinner, 2007).
Similarly, studies in none-Western contexts have also proved the importance of
child friendly environment. Yunus, (2003) maintains, “Giving the right opportunities
and the right learning environment, children will develop in similar ways whatever their
background has (p. 110). Therefore, it is important to give more opportunities for young
children to learn in a better way. Likewise parental involvement in ECED is significant.
Dean, (2000) said,
“If most of a child’s education happens outside school, especially in the home,
and if parents are co-educators of the child with teachers, then it seems logical
to make the two elements of school learning and home learning compatible, and
for teachers to use that home learning as a resource” (p. 140).
It is true that parents who give more time to their children, their home learning
takes place well and children learn in a better way. Stern, (2003) supports Dean’s ideas
and said, “Parents are the children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents
and practitioners work together in early years’ setting, the results have a positive impact
on children’s development and learning” (p. 78).
 24

Finally, in order to further understand the nature of child friendly environment

Click (1998) argues that in a developmentally appropriate childcare environment
children can enhance their cognitive abilities as they are active participants in the
development of their own intelligence. In order to do that, the environment must invite
participation and offer a wide variety of choices. Children must be free to explore and
discover, to hypothesize and experiment to increase their knowledge about the world
around them. Each area in the classroom must include space for children to work
comfortably and to have their materials close at hand (Sadu, 2004)

2.1.1 Key Principles of CFS (from CRC)

 Principle of Child-Centerdness:
Central to all decision making in education is safeguarding the interests of the child.
 Principle of Democratic Participation:
As rights holders, children and those who facilitate their rights should have a say in the
form and substance of their education.
 Principle of Inclusiveness
All children have a right to education. Access to education is not a privilege that society
grants to children, it is a duty that society fulfills to all children.
 Principle of Protection
All children have a right to learn in an environment where they can grow and reach
their potential. They have a right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated,
physically and mentally.
It is justified in the table as follows:

Table 2.1 Key Principles of CFS (from CRC)

What are the KEY AREAS
What are the main for CFS transformation? What are the FEATURES of
PRINCIPLES of CFS? Which KEY AREAS will CFS?
CFS transforms?
 Gender sensitive Child
CHILD-CENTERDNESS participation
 Child-centered
Central to all decision making Pedagogy (Teaching and
pedagogy; child centered
in education is safeguarding Learning Methods)
teaching and learning
the interests of the child  Child-friendly
architecture
DEMOCRATIC Learning Environment  Child participation in
PARTICIPATION (healthy, safe and protective) curriculum design and
As rights holders, children and school management
those who facilitate their  Girl friendly classrooms,
 25

safe & secure

 Parent/Community
participation in gender
rights should have a say in the
sensitive curriculum
form and substance of their
design and school
education
management
 Gender sensitive Life
skills based education
 Child seeking & girl
friendly school
 Gender sensitive in
all aspects...
 Child participation in
INCLUSIVENESS school governance
All children have a right to Establishing and
education. Access to School’s Ethos and Link to strengthening school
education is not a privilege the Community governing bodies and
that society grants to children, PTAs
it is a duty that society fulfills  Participation of
to all children children in School
Policy on gender
equality
 Existence of policies
that promote social
justice and fairness.
PROTECTION  Safe (school
All children have a right to construction,
learn in an environment where playgrounds,
they can grow and reach their Infrastructure and design cafeteria…) LE
potential. They have a right to  Healthy (WES, nutrition,
be protected from being hurt deworming, vaccination)
and mistreated, physically and learning environment
mentally (LE)

2.1.2 Child Friendly School Standards

The education sector in Pakistan has historically been characterized by low
participation rates and severe deficiencies in imparting quality education to learners. A
large number of children do not attend any kind of schooling and those who are in schools
do not perform well.
According to the latest Global Monitoring Report (GMR)1 , Pakistan falls into
the category of those 14 countries where the number of out of school children exceeds one
million. However, this may be a conservative assessment because local studies indicate
that approximately 6-7 million children between 5 – 16 years of age do not attend any kind
of schooling in Pakistan. On the quality front, various studies conducted by the National
Education Assessment System (NEAS)2 reveal serious deficiencies in student learning
outcomes. In addition, sector governance also faces serious performance related
 26

challenges and is considered to be highly politicized. Inadequate human resource capacity

and the absence of a systemic planning culture are generally considered the weak links in
education governance of Pakistan.
The absence of clearly articulated and agreed upon minimum standards for
quality education leaves the education system without a basic framework for evaluating
attempts at improvements in education quality.
In all provinces of the country there is no mechanism for evaluating the
performance of the education system. As a result, the impact of educational interventions
is to often anecdotal and the true evidence-based picture seldom emerges. The first
dedicated effort towards a standards-based education in Pakistan was made in 1976 with
the promulgation of the ‘Federal Supervision of Curricula and Maintenance of Education
Standards’ Act. Under this Act, the Ministry of Education had assumed a supervisory role
in the development of a national curriculum. However, a structured consultative process to
formulate minimum quality standards was overlooked at that point. The National
Education Policy (2009) came as the first national level document in recent education
history which clearly articulated the need for a standards-based education system and
recommends that, “the quality of education provided in government-owned institutions
must be raised through setting standards for educational inputs, processes and outputs and
institutionalizing the process of monitoring and evaluation from the lowest to the highest
levels”4 .
The NEP further recommends that national standards for educational inputs,
processes and outputs should be determined and a National Authority for Standards of
Education should be established. The National Education Policy describes clear outcomes
associated with the adoption of standards-based education, as described below:
 Standards will improve the quality of education;

 Performance of the education sector will be evaluated in a more systematic manner;

 Standardization will help to develop harmony between the public and private sectors;

 Common standards will bring intra- and inter- provincial compatibility; and

 Common standards will diminish the impacts of parallel systems of education.

Some Standards of Child Friendly Schools are shown blow in the table:-

Standards of Child Friendly School:

Table 2.2 Standards of Child Friendly School
 27

Dimension Standard Indicators

Inclusiveness All children attend  The school has a list of all school-
school regardless of aged children in the region,
their background or regardless of whether they are
ability enrolled in school or not
 The school carries out regular
campaigns to encourage parents to
enroll their children and
emphasizes that all children are
welcome, regardless of
background or ability
 The school monitors the
enrollment, regular attendance and
achievements of students from
different ethnic groups and
students with special needs
 The school provides suitable, safe
and reasonably priced transport to
school.
Effectiveness All children, regardless  Teachers use teaching methods
of background, ability that are age- and ability
and/or gender, are appropriate
taught and assessed  Teachers encourage students to
through innovative, think, make decisions, ask
child-centred methods questions and express opinions
 Teachers encourage participation
in class, confident that every child
can learn
 Teachers encourage students to
work together, promoting practical
and cooperative learning
Health, safety School-based health  The school provides annual health
and protection services and curricula screening examinations for
enhance the health, students
safety and protection of  The school keeps written records
all children regardless about children’s health conditions,
of their background, emergency contact information
ability and/or gender and names of authorized people
 28

 for children's pick up

 The school provides simple
medical treatments to students and
refers more serious cases to the
nearest health center.
 School food is nutritious
Gender- Children learn about  The school curriculum and
Responsiveness and experience respect teaching materials present
for gender equity equitable images of girls and boys
 Teachers treat girls and boys
equitably in the classroom (e.g.,
equity in requests for participation
and types of questions asked in
classroom discussion)
Involvement of All children and  There is an active student
students, family families have equal organization at the school elected
and community opportunity to express in a democratic way
opinions and participate  Students actively participate in
fully in school forming regulations and making
organizations regardless decisions at the school
of their background,  There is an active parent
ability and/or gender organization at the school elected
in a democratic way
 Parents actively participate in
forming regulations and making
decisions at school
Respect for The entire school  All school personnel demonstrate
Children’s community (children, their understanding of child rights
Rights and teachers, administrators,  Learning materials include
Multiculturalism parents) behaves in content on the history, culture and
accordance with the traditions
Convention on the
Rights of the Child

2.2 Role of different components in the Child Friendly Schools

2.2.1 Role of educational classroom
 29

Teachers were encouraged to create colorful and educational classrooms to help

promote better learning. During their summer breaks, teachers learnt to use wall charts,
paintings and props of better learning. Aside from travel and daily expenses during
training teachers do not receive extra salary support.
2.2.2 Role of Teacher:
Corporal punishment is common in many Pakistani school, and a distance
between students and teachers is carefully maintained. This model is changed in Child-
friendly schools. Without compromising the cultural norm of difference towards
teachers. Students are encouraged to participate in learning and understand concepts
rather than punishment. This helps an environment in which children want to attend
school and parents are happy to send them. In the long run, this also improves learning
achievements.
Teachers are trained and encouraged to prepare lesson plans, develop resource
materials for teaching, and to involve all children in learning. TARC staff visit schools
regularly and provide on-the-spot help and input on teaching methods.

2.2.3 Role of Students:

Teachers and head teachers formed student committees to give children a voice
and ownership in their schools and create a friendly environment. These have several
functions:
 Many schools lack resources to hire cleaners or maintain their property. Student
committees were put in charge of cleanliness, creating a hygienic environment at
no cost and increasing awareness of the need to keep one’s own environment
unsoiled. Older students also mentor younger ones in hygienic habits.
 In the absence of positive discipline, student committees involve children in
maintaining order giving them both responsibility for themselves and their peers,
and taking load off over-worked teachers, many of whom are responsible for two
or more grades simultaneously.
 Grading committees were especially popular amongst students. Where space
allowed, classes were given garden patches and encouraged to tend them. This
becomes both a fun and educational activity and improves the environment of the
school.
 Student committees were also formed for other activities such as drama.
 30

Child-Friendly Schools take pride in their welcome to marginalized

children. Children with learning or other disabilities, or those from minorities and
traditionally excluded groups are all proactively welcomed by teachers.

2.2.4 Role of parents:

Teachers were encouraged to involve parents in their children’s education.
Traditionally, in many areas parents did not take an interest in education: reasons
included the parents’ own illiteracy or their fear nervousness in the school in
some communities teachers came from outside the village. In others, they were
felt to be harsh or disinterested-especially where absenteeism was common.
To tackle this, the TARC social mobiliser and teachers worked together to
invite parents to meetings on their students’ progress. As School Councils were
activated, they also took active part in bringing parents to school for Parent-
Teacher Meetings and monitoring their children’s homework and education.

2.2.5 Role of Community:

School Councils are a Government of Punjab initiative whereby a group of
community members, parents and the school’s head teacher meet regularly to
discuss the school’s needs. The council has the power to disburse a small sum of
money on school expenses, such as repairs.
To activate the councils, TARC staff accessed the community through opinion
leaders, local government officials, masjid imams, parents and even students.
Social mobilisers attend their meetings and guided them about the existence of
their resources-both from the government and the labour and supplies they
themselves could contribute-and how best to utilize them.
School Councils also work with out-of-school children, persuading their parents
to send them to school.

2.3 Important Factors of Child Friendly School:

2.3.1 Child-Friendly Schools are Grounded in the Convention on the
rights of the Child
What is so important about the Child-Friendly Schools framework?
First, the foundation of this framework is the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC). According to this human rights instrument, all girls and boys in
the country are entitled to these rights:
 31

1. The right to survival, which includes necessities for life: food, clothing,
housing and medicine;
2. The right to development, meaning that a child is entitled to develop
his/her potential to the fullest, which includes the right to be educated, to
play, to rest, to engage in cultural activities, to have access to news and
information;
3. The right to protection from all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The CRC explicitly states that children should be protected from all forms of
physical or mental violence. Children should not suffer inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment and school discipline should be consistent with the
child’s human dignity; and
4. The right to participation, with freedom for expression in the community,
in matters affecting the child’s life, and in ways that prepare children to take on
increasing roles and levels of responsibility as grow up.
To make it possible for children to claim these rights, CRC Part 2 Article 42 says:
“The State agrees to make the principles and provisions in this convention widely
acknowledged among adults and children in an appropriate and practical way.”
In other words, it is the obligation of "duty-bearers", which is us, the adults, to ensure that
all children are cared for, protected and supported to be able to develop to the fullest. To
the fullest means physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually with equality and
integrity. The Child-Friendly schools Framework brings together these fundamental rights
that are listed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in these ways:
(1) Child-Friendly Schools are child-centered.
(2) They are inclusive.
(3) They are gender-equitable and celebrate all cultural backgrounds and languages.
(4) They are effective – that is, in Child Friendly Schools children are learning and being
educated.
(5) Child-Friendly Schools are protective, safe, healthy environments; and
(6) They are characterized by democratic participation.
It is obvious that the vision of Child-Friendly Schools for educating children goes far
beyond who gets the best score on the final examination. Their mission insists that each
and every girl and boy have the right to participate in her or his own learning in a safe,
protective learning community.
 32

Since we first began to discuss Child-Friendly Schools in the early 1990s, over
100 countries in all regions of the world have included the principles of Child-Friendly
schools in their laws, their education systems, and their schools.
The framework is used for planning the transformation of an entire education
system, one school at a time, with everyone’s participation, for the benefit of each and
every child. It is a framework that will enable each and every girl, boy, young child and
adolescent to claim her or his right to education in a learning community that is child-
centered, inclusive, and based on democratic participation.
2.3.2 Using a Zoom Lens to Understand the Child-Friendly Schools Approach
Various groups are represented here today – parliamentarians, police, educators, and
researchers. Many of you are also parents. Each group’s point of view is different and
each is necessary, but to work together as partners, some common ways of looking at
things are needed.
As policymakers, you are required to think about the big picture – the entire
country, or regions of the country in combination, or a province. As police, you consider
the issues from the perspective of law enforcement. That is your role and your obligation.
You are here to explore your partnership with education. As educators responsible for the
learning outcomes of children, we often see that policies work when they take the
classroom and the school into account. Policies and programs can go wrong if they are
designed for the whole country but do not support building capacity at the local level –
that is, the level of the community, the school, and especially the classroom. The Child-
Friendly School approach can establish that common framework, especially when we
examine it through a zoom lens.
The zoom lens approach will help you to understand what it means to take a “child
centered approach” in a Child-Friendly school – to keep your policies and your programs
focused where they need to be focused. That’s right, a zoom lens – like the lens on a
camera that moves from close range to wide angle.
At close range, we begin by focusing on the girl and on the boy so that every child
is included. For the Child-Friendly School, being child-centered and focusing on the child
is critical. It is also important, however, that we talk about Child-Friendly Schools, since
children learn about their rights in particular places, in the classroom and school. So we
need to zoom wider and focus on the classroom. This is where one child interacts with
many other children. It is also where the teacher has to plan for, manage, and assess the
 33

learning needs of 12 or 20 or 52 or more children all at once, on a daily basis, for nine or
10 months of the year.
Then we need to zoom out and focus on the entire school, where we see children
of all ages, all the teachers, the principal and other school personnel, including the
guidance and counseling teachers and the security guards working together. They are
working together so that all children in every classroom can learn to read and write, do
mathematics, develop critical thinking and life skills, and become good citizens of the
republic and of the world community.
Then we zoom out farther to see the school positioned in the community. This is
where children live with their families. It is where their parents work and vote. This is
where the police have a central role in law enforcement and a desire to support the school
community in its actions to be a safe Child-Friendly School within a safe community.
We then zoom out even farther to see the community in the context of the wider
society and the nation. At this level, the national government provides the legal structures
and finances for Child-Friendly Schools to develop through legislation that parliament
enacts for the 35,000 schools across the country. It is here that the Ministry of National
Education designs programs and policies to support the development of s in communities
and the development of a Child-Friendly School system. At this level, the national police
coordinate the work of law enforcement across the country.
Having arrived at this system level with the wide angle lens, we then zoom
back in, slowly to the community, and then the school, observing that the school and what
goes on inside the school is a microcosm of the larger society, that is, a small slice of the
whole pie of society.
We then zoom back in to the classroom and note how each level of the system
supports the learning of each child. This includes girls and boys who are disabled,
disadvantaged, and who have learning disabilities. They too, have a right to claim the
benefits of a quality education and Child-Friendly Schools are inclusive.
As we return to focus on the child in the Child-Friendly School approach, we
consider not only the children in school, but also the girls and boys who are not in school –
those who have been excluded from school, those who have dropped out or have been
pushed out, those whom the CRC insists also have an equal right to a quality education.
The zoom lens approach reminds us that the work we do together to develop
Child-Friendly Schools is a complex enterprise. I trust that no one at the symposium this
 34

week will try to make it sound simple, that no one will suggest if only the police or
parliament or schools would do one thing differently, all our problems with violence
would be solved. The work is complex and complicated, and we need to take each other’s
perspectives into account as we plan future action.
2.3.3 Data on Child-Friendly Schools in Pakistan
What did the children have to say about Child-Friendly Schools? The students
said, a Child-Friendly School “is where we are safe” and “where we get to vote for our
class representatives.”
Parents said, “it is where parents know children will be in a safe environment;
where one can easily communicate with teachers, friends and others”; and “Where the
child feels and the parents observe children getting a quality education, learning.”
Teachers described a Child-Friendly School as “safe – and healthy”. They added
“it is where children know their rights and see their rights posted on the classroom walls”.
They also said it is where children know that they have the right to have access to a quality
education. Teachers also described Child-Friendly schools as “teacher-friendly”, a place
where teachers too are respected.
Do we have any evidence that Child-Friendly Schools make a difference in
different countries?
Different countries work on the Child Friendly Schools.Here are two of the
findings.
First, students felt safe, respected, and were more involved in learning in schools
where two things were going on in schools:
(1) teachers used child-centered teaching methods; and
(2) Families and communities participated in the life of the school.
Second, while it is important to have schools that are well-built – especially to
have buildings that children with disabilities can use easily – this was not enough to make
a school child-friendly. However, if schools focused on children, if there was mutual
respect among students and teachers, and if parents were involved, there you could expect
to see a Child-Friendly School. The research from Pakistan and from the international
study both underscore that participation and a safe, protective, and healthy learning
environment go hand-in-hand to support children’s learning.
 35

2.3.4 Prediction, Prevention, and Preparation for a Safe, Child-Friendly School

There are three things a school must do to ensure that children are as safe as
possible, that they are protected and healthy. These three things are prediction,
prevention, and preparation.
Prediction:
We cannot predict the future, but as duty-bearing adults we must try to foresee
possible risks or possible dangers that could affect children in the school or the school
neighborhood.
Prevention:
When we have predicted risks or dangers in the school or neighborhood, we must
take precautions so that children’s health and safety are not at risk.
Preparation:
Schools need to have resources and security procedures in place to deal swiftly
and decisively with specific dangers to children's health and safety. In a Child-Friendly
School, everyone participates in prediction, prevention, and preparation. The zoom lens
approach can show us how.
Two examples are preparing a school safety map and developing a risk index. Girls,
boys, teachers, parents, the community – everyone in the school community can
participate in developing a map of the school and neighborhood that shows the safe and
unsafe spaces. Creating this map can help to predict and prevent occurrences of violence.
Were you ever afraid in school? I was – and I remember exactly where I was when
I was afraid. In fact, I could still today locate that place on a map of my school. If I were
to do that, the school I attended could take measures to make sure that no other child
would ever feel unsafe in that same space.
So starting with the children, each girl and boy can map out where they feel
personally vulnerable. Girls and boys frequently map different spaces when they are
showing where they feel unsafe in the school. Predicting where violence may occur is
related to prevention. And prevention is important, especially for dealing with bullying
and with sexual harassment. Girls and boys can show on a map where this is most likely
to occur.
Adults – teachers, principals, parents, security guards, police from the
community, everyone can participate in the mapping exercise. After the map has been
completed, all members of the Child-Friendly School community make sure that they have
 36

a prevention plan in place. If they already a plan, they should review it every year to
ensure that each person knows her or his role in preventing violence, unsafe or unhealthy
conditions.
Another way to work on prediction, prevention, and preparation is to develop a
risk index. Everyone at the school can also participate in this – and it is especially
effective to take the zoom lens approach. Each group identifies the possible risks related
to health or to physical, emotional or psychological violence. They establish the cost.
And then they use the information to develop plans for prevention and preparation.
For example, consider a child’s journey to and from school. In developing a risk
index, where are the potential sources of danger on that journey and what can be done
about it? The police are an important resource in working with the school community on
this risk index. A Child-Friendly School community will identify safe ways for children
to travel to school and back once they identify the dangers. Students can travel together
since there is safety in numbers, which costs very little. The community working with the
police can identify secure walking paths in remote rural areas or in protected streets in
urban centers, which might be expensive and require the involvement of local businesses
and others as well.
For the final phase of preparation, Child-Friendly Schools need to identify
security procedures so that they can deal swiftly and decisively with specific dangers to
children's health and safety (UNICEF, 2009). The procedures need to be clear and school
personnel at all levels – the student, the classroom, the school, the community - need to
know their roles. Warning systems from a simple school bell (e.g., rung intermittently) or
buzzer (e.g., fire drill) can alert students, families, and school personnel to a danger or
emergency (UNICEF, 2009, p. 3). Schools now also send out text messages in time of
crisis. Principals of Child-Friendly Schools in Pakistan told us they have “crisis teams” in
place, which include parents, teachers, and school personnel. If an emergency arises, the
crisis team is prepared to communicate immediately and appropriately with the rest of the
school community.
2.3.5 Everyone Participates Every Day to Make Child-Friendly Schools Safe:
Everyone in a Child-Friendly School can participate in the prediction,
prevention, preparation activities. Everyone in a Child-Friendly School community also
participates on daily basis in making the school a safe, protective, healthy environment.
Children participate. Girls and boys understand that along with their rights they
have responsibilities. Students with whom we spoke confidently described the ways in
 37

which they participate in making the school child-friendly. They are elected as class or
school representatives and take pride in representing their class and making the needs of
their classmates known at school meetings. They use the wish boxes (also known as
complaint boxes) – where they can write confidentially about concerns related to students,
teachers, or their home environment. They also write about changes they would like to
see. Schools see these wish boxes as a “safe” way for girls and boys to make their needs
known, and the teachers and principals regularly look in the boxes. They take students’
notes seriously. Students take great satisfaction when they see their suggestions have been
implemented.
The school principal(s) and teachers participate. They are the duty-bearers in
the school with primary responsibility for the well-being of girls and boys. Students,
teachers, and parents, with whom I spoke last week all mentioned teachers as frontline
monitors of safety. In addition to safety in the classroom, teachers are in the hallways, on
the playground, taking turns watching over children. Children and parents also mentioned
security guards, night watchmen, and police – even bus drivers are involved, noted one
parent.
The school principal in particular is the key person who is responsible for
internal and external matters. The principal is at the interface of the well-being of the
children in classrooms and of the school in the community. In this role, the principal (or
principals) work(s) with many individuals – with classroom teachers, guidance and
counseling and special education teachers, and girls and boys of all ages on the inside. On
the outside the principal works with parents, daytime or nighttime school security guards
and other school personnel – to negotiate the roles and responsibilities of each.
The principal works with the Parent-Teachers Association and invites them to
participate in first developing and then reviewing the school’s safety action plan. The
National Crime Prevention Council in the USA (2009) suggests that a PTA action
Committee should be established to take responsibility for this assessment and to
participate in ongoing monitoring and evaluation at the school level.
The community participates. In the community, the police are partners
working with the principal, the teachers, and parents to support the development of a
Child-Friendly School. Since roles need to be clear, what is or are the roles for the police?
A 2005 study funded by the US Department of Justice on “The Role of Law Enforcement
in Public School Safety” found that one of the most common ways in which law
enforcement personnel were involved with schools was to help schools create written
 38

plans to deal with school safety and security. Police activities also included patrolling
school grounds, school facilities, and student travel routes; they conducted traffic patrol on
or around campus and responded to calls for service. They were present at school
functions such as athletic and social events and typically they were involved in safety
plans and meetings with schools, especially working with schools to create written plans
to deal with bomb scares or other school-wide threats. Some schools had Resource
Officers who worked in schools and who worked to be positive role models for students.
According to this large-scale study, what was the ideal role of law
enforcement in school safety? The hundreds of people interviewed for this study – school
staff, parents, and students – could not agree. Primary schools wanted less police
presence; some high schools, depending on their location, their size, and level of crime in
the surrounding community, appreciated a higher level of involvement. What they did
agree on was that they wanted a balance of police presence that met the needs of the
school and that contributed to but did not interrupt the quality of life of the school (2005,
p. 196). Schools are microcosms of society and school communities have different needs
in different places. Child-Friendly School principals work with student representatives,
teachers, parents and other community members, and police to decide on the best approach
to security, safety, and protection for each Child-Friendly School.

2.3.6 School Level Interventions to Deal with Violent Behaviors

When some of the children in the Child-Friendly School stop being friendly and
cause trouble – what then? Students we interviewed talked about the important role of the
teacher in settling their arguments. So did teachers: “A Child-Friendly School is where,”
said the teachers, “if children fight, we talk to them and in the end they apologize, because
we want them to have empathy with one another at the end of the fight.”
What about more serious issues? What prevention and intervention plans are there
to enable a whole school to deal with children who exhibit violent behavior? At the school
level, two new, important interventions are being used increasingly: anti-bullying
programs and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
The anti-bullying movement looks at interactions between children. Much of its
focus is not on violence, but on looking at what leads to violence. The general idea is that
there are four stages of interactions between and among children: harmony, teasing,
taunting, and targeted aggression. Harmony is most desirable– of course! – and teasing
generally takes place among friends. Teachers and students learn to watch closely the line
between teasing and taunting, however, because taunting can quickly lead to aggression.
 39

2.3.7 Factors that affect quality of education and Child Friendly Schools
Many schools serve communities that have a high prevalence of diseases related to
inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and where child malnutrition and other
underlying health problems are common. (WHO 2004c).The international policy
environment increasingly reflects these issues. Providing adequate levels of water supply,
sanitation and hygiene in schools is of direct relevance to the Millennium Development
Goals on achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and reducing
child mortality. It is also supportive of other goals, especially those on major diseases and
infant mortality.

2.4.1 Insufficient numbers of trained teachers and textbooks

Teachers are the key to making schools ― child-friendly. They are trained on
children participation in school development and on how to effectively pass on this
knowledge and awareness to parents, community members and the students themselves.
The most important factor affecting the quality of education is the quality of the individual
teacher in the classroom. There is clear evidence that teacher‘s ability and effectiveness
are the most influential determinants of student achievement.
Regardless of the resources that are provided, rules that are adopted and curriculum
that is revised, the primary source of learning for students remains the classroom teacher.
More critically, the importance of good teaching to the academic success of students is
intuitively obvious to any parent.
Once teachers, parents and community members are trained on child rights, they
meet to assess themselves, the school and community on what they lack and what needs to
be improved. Most schools organize activities for students, including Child Rights Clubs,
which students run by themselves.
In addition, teachers are required to prepare individual files on each student, which
include information on the student socio-economic background as well as the student
strengths and weaknesses in school. This is considered one of the most important elements
of the Child Friendly School, since by having such information teachers become closer to
each student and understand much more about their individual needs or problems.
 40

2.4.2 Lack of clean water and sanitation (e.g. separate toilets for girls and boys and
hand-washing facilities)
Water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases are a huge burden in developing
countries. It is estimated that 88% of diarroheal disease is caused by unsafe water supply,
and inadequate sanitation and hygiene (WHO 2004c). Many schools serve communities
that have a high prevalence of diseases related to in adequate water supply, sanitation and
hygiene, and where child malnutrition an do their underlying health problems are
common. It is not uncommon for schools, particularly those in rural areas, to
lack drinking-water and sanitation facilities completely, or for such facilities as do exist
to be inadequate both in quality and quantity. Schools with poor water, sanitation and
hygiene conditions, and intense levels of person-to-person contact, are high-risk
environments for children and staff, and exacerbate children's particular susceptibility to
environmental health hazards.
Children ability to learn may be affected in several ways. Firstly, helminth
infections, affecting hundreds of millions of school-age children, can impair children‘s
physical development and learning ability through pain and discomfort, competition for
nutrients, and damage to tissues and organs. Long-term exposure to chemical
contaminants in water (e.g. lead) may impair learning ability.
 Diarrheal diseases, malaria and helminth infections force many schoolchildren to
be absent from school. Poor environmental conditions in the classroom can also make both
teaching and learning very difficult. Teachers ‘impaired  performance and absence due to
disease has a direct impact on learning, and their work is made harder by the learning
difficulties faced by the school children.
Girls and boys are likely to be affected in different ways by inadequate water,
sanitation and hygiene conditions in schools, and this may contribute to unequal learning
opportunities. For example, lack of adequate, separate and secure toilets and washing
facilities may discourage parents from sending girls to school, and lack of adequate
facilities for menstrual hygiene can contribute to girls missing days at school or dropping
out altogether at puberty. Children who have adequate water, sanitation and hygiene
conditions at school are more able to integrate hygiene education into their daily lives, and
can be effected agents for change in their families and the wider community.
Conversely, communities in which school children are exposed to disease risk
because of inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene at school are themselves more
at risk. Families bear the burden of their children‘s illness due to bad conditions at school.
 41

2.4.3 Beliefs and practices that discourage girls' enrolment

The deployment patterns also have implications for gender equity. A cross sub-
Saharan Africa, the enrolment and retention of girls in school is lower than that of boys.
The under-representation of girls tends to be greatest in rural area sand among the most
disadvantaged communities. While a number of measures can be shown to have an impact
on the retention of girls in school, one of the important factors is the presence of female
teachers in the school (Bernard, 2002)  by child characteristics, such as
aptitude, motivation and behavior , which can be negatively affected by poor health
and nutritional status.
Proximate determinants of health consist of the biological mechanisms that
directly affect the health, growth, and development of children. These include dietary
intake, illness burden, and exposure to environmental contaminants or hazards.
Environmental hazards encompass risks associated with the transmission of infectious
agents or exposure to noxious materials such as ambient smoke.
Transmission of infectious agents, which can in turn have a direct influence on
children‘s nutritional status, occurs through a number of routes, including the
air, particularly with the spread of respiratory diseases; dirty food, water, and hands, which
can cause diarrhea and other intestinal illnesses; skin and soil, the conduits of skin
infections; and insects, which can spread viral and parasitic diseases (Scrimshaw et al
1968, Mosley and Chen 1984).

2.5 Improving Child Friendly Schools

Strategies include policies to provide a non-discriminatory safe and secure

environment, skills based health education, provision of health and other services,
effective referral to external health service providers and links with the community should
be put in place. The framework provides this context by positioning provision of safe
water and sanitation among its four core components that should be made available
together for all schools.
  It is therefore of some concern that a quarter of all children eligible to be in school
are malnourished (Galal et al., 2005) and that children in developing countries frequently
carry an additional burden of infectious diseases.
 42

Subsidizing the education and health fees of orphans could become the main
means of promoting placement of orphans with extended families. The chief merit of this
intervention is that it supports investments in children without encouraging child labor.
School subsidies for orphans who are not in school would benefit orphans for
four reasons:
i. subsidies are easy to monitor and less prone to abuse or fraud than other
direct subsidies;

ii. education subsidies would give orphans the opportunity to attend school when

school fees are prohibitive;

iii. in the short term, orphans would be better integrated socially into the local
community life; and

iv. in the long term, orphans would have marketable skills, making them more
productive members of society.

Subsidies for orphans and other vulnerable children already enrolled in school
would allow foster families to save on education costs and increase their consumption of
other goods and services, potentially improving the entire household‘s welfare. School
subsidies have not yet been tried in the case of Africa‘s orphans, although provision for
them exists in two ongoing World Bank operations in Burundi and Zimbabwe. However,
many countries have successfully used school subsidies to meet other goals such as
increasing access to education for girls.
In Brazil, the Bolsa Escola Program tries to reduce child labor and increase
school participation through cash grants to families of school age children (7–14 years
old). The families receive the grants on the condition that children attend school a
minimum number of days per month (90 percent). Preliminary evidence shows that school
attendance has increased, dropouts have decreased, and the income gap between
beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries has decreased. The effect on child labor, however, has
been inconclusive because the municipality surveyed does not have a high incidence
of child labor (World Bank 2000a).
Education is the tool that can help break the pattern of gender  discrimination and
bring lasting change for women in developing countries. Educated women are essential to
ending gender bias, starting by reducing the poverty that makes discrimination even
worse in the developing world. The most basic skills in literacy and arithmetic open up
opportunities for better-paying jobs for women. Uneducated women in rural areas of
 43

Zambia, for instance, are twice as likely to live in poverty as those who have had eight or
more years of education. The longer a girl is able to stay in school, the greater her chances
to pursue worthwhile employment, higher education, and a life without the hazards of
extreme poverty.
Women who have had some schooling are more likely to get married later,
survive childbirth, have fewer and healthier children, and make sure their own children
complete school. They also understand hygiene and nutrition better and are more likely to
prevent disease by visiting health care facilities. The UN estimates that for every year a
woman spends in primary school, the risk of her child dying prematurely is reduced by 8
percent. Girls' education also means comprehensive change for a society.
As women get the opportunity to go to school and obtain higher-level jobs,
they gain status in their communities. Status translates into the power to influence their
families and societies because feeding children tends to be an emotional and politically
sensitive topic, which makes it difficult to have children in a control group. She found
only one longer term randomized controlled trial, conducted by Powell et al. (1998),
which found benefits associated with attendance and arithmetic performance.
This study is reviewed further below. Less robust studies comparing
participants with non-participants or comparing matched schools have found benefits of
receiving breakfast but there was bias due to self-selection and schools may have been
inadequately matched. Grantham-McGregor concludes that most studies of
giving breakfast have found benefits to school performance through increased attendance
and retention.
However, many had serious design problems, were short-term, and were
not conducted in the poorest countries. She argues that in order to advise policy makers
correctly, there is an urgent need to run long-term randomized controlled trials of giving
school meals in poor countries and to determine the effects of age and nutrition status of
the children, the quality of the school, and the timing of the meal. She emphasizes that the
special needs of orphans should also be considered.
The study by Powell et al. (1998) demonstrated that hunger during school
may prevent children in developing countries from benefiting from education. Compared
to school feeding programs, Food for Education (FFE) includes a broader range of
interventions design to improve enrollment, attendance, community-school linkages, and
learning. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is the largest organizer of FFE
 44

throughout the world. In 2003WFP provided food to schools in 70 countries, accounting

for more than 15 million children.
Once school feeding programs have been launched, complementary
activities such as de-worming and HIV prevention education can‗ piggyback these
programs to maximize the benefits of food aid. (World Food Program, 2003).
FFE involves the distribution of food to ―at-risk children (usually girls,
orphans or other vulnerable children) who attend school regularly as a stimulus to increase
participation, and to help offset some of the opportunity and cash costs of educating
children. The food may be locally grown and purchased or contributed by aid donors.
Where FFE also includes food-for-work, targeted to teachers or parents involved in
activities to improve schooling outcomes, it can be used to boost efforts to improve both
the demand (enrollment and attendance) for education and the supply (quality) of
education, which are of course interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Levinger (2005)
points out, however, that to be effective FFE interventions must reflect local education
supply and demand realities.

2.6 Benefits of Child Friendly Schools

Benefits of Child-Friendly School
A child friendly school is a school that guarantees each child a rich environment
that spearheads his/her physical, emotional and psychological growth. It is the kind of
school that offers the relevant guidance and counseling to both boys and girls so that they
can exploit their talents to the maximum. It is a child centered school that provides its
students with a forum to air their grievances without being victimized. It is the kind of
school that caters for individual differences.
Child friendly schools have several benefits:
1. They provide students with a positive environment to exploit their talents and
capabilities to their maximum. This shapes them into their respective careers and
professions at an early age.
2. Gender sensitization. Child friendly schools are gender sensitive in their
enrollment and provision of services. They also offer students an opportunity to
broaden their thinking and do away with certain stereotypes such as "sciences are
meant for boys". It sensitizes both the boys and the girls on the need to respect
each other’s rights and dignity for peaceful coexistence and development.
 45

3. Child friendly schools also trains its learners to be law abiding and patriotic.
Students in such schools are used to following simple rules and regulations. They
get to understand that the outside world has rules and regulations just like the
school. The extensive coverage of different cultures without bias enables learners
to appreciate and love others. This in turn promotes peaceful coexistence.
4. Child friendly schools also reduce drop out cases. The students feel comfortable
and relaxed both emotionally and physically since all their needs are adhered to.
For example, a student who is well mentored will refrain from drug abuse and sex
which may lead to pregnancy and consequently a drop out case. The students are
also motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically to move on with their studies.
Rewards motivate students to work harder. A student who is a poor performer in
class is motivated to discover his talent outside the classroom. This will also
reduce drop out cases.
Owing to the numerous benefits of child friendly schools, heads of schools should
embrace the qualities of these schools so as to improve on the performance of their
learners.
According to (MOEST, 2010), Child-Friendly Schools, learners become more
self-confident, develop greater self-esteem, take pride in themselves and their
achievements learn how to learn independently inside and outside school, apply what they
learn in school to their everyday lives, such as at play and at home, learn to interact
actively and happily with their classmates and teachers, enjoy being with others who are
different from themselves and learn how to be sensitive to, and embrace the difference,
learn together and value their relationships, no matter what their backgrounds or abilities,
become more creative which improves how well they learn, appreciate their cultural
traditions and realize they may be different from others, which is normal and something to
respect and to celebrate, and to value their cultural language, improve their
communication skills and better prepared for life and they gain or regain self-respect for
themselves as they learn to respect others.

2.6 Inclusive Child-Friendly classrooms

In many developing countries, the challenge of making classrooms stimulating
is compounded by the problem of overcrowded space, especially as policies to boost
enrolment begin to gain success. Malawi, Uganda and the Untied Republic of Tanzania
experienced huge increases in enrolment when school fees were abolished and education
was declared free; stretching the already limited infrastructure and resources. Even in
 46

these conditions, teachers can use innovative ways to maximize classrooms or school
space; for instance, by using walls and floors creatively to make teaching/learning process
in the early grades interesting and exciting (ESAR, 2006).
In Pakistan, Ethiopia, India and Kenya, ordinary classrooms have blossomed
into stimulating classrooms through the use of pocket boards with word cards, picture
cards and numerical cards; wall boards painted with indigenous ink, alphabets, numerals
and mats signs, cut outs and story outlines on walls; and low cost or no cost teaching aids
in learning corners. Optimal use of locally available resources is encouraged as a way to
make classrooms stimulating. The basic cost of converting an average Kenyan standard
one classroom in only US $ 25, a modest amount schools and communities can afford.
The input-output studies based on cognitive achievements of pupils provide
little evidence that school resources have any regular important effect on results. Some
studies have shown such factors to be apparently effective, whilst others have shown the
opposite and the total outcome of these studies throws doubt on the importance of school
facilities in the learning process (Ayot and Briggs, 1992). That notwithstanding, many
parents associate the poor pupil achievement in public primary schools to lack of adequate
learning facilities.
The size of classrooms in terms of length and width should be 7.5M X 5.85M
and such classroom should accommodate a maximum of 30 learners in 1 seater desks or
40 learners in 2 seater desks (MOEST, 2001). It has been found out that up to six pupils
will squeeze onto a desk meant for only two. Sad enough, such a huge class needs to share
that single black wall irrespective of the seating position. It all leads to the conclusion that
very little learning can be said to be taking place given such horrendous conditions (Ayot
and Briggs, 1992).
The Safety and Standards of Pakistan for all primary education continues to
experience many challenges relating to access and equity. Key among them is
overstretched facilities due to overcrowding in schools. Other problems in the quality of
learning relate to poor learning environment due to overcrowding and inadequate
classroom facilities. Teachers attempt to provide instructions with only a chalkboard as a
teaching aid and children may have exercise books and a few textbook shared among
groups. The upshot is that there is no interactive learning and rote learning takes the centre
stage, of course with its inherent drawbacks.
Child-Friendly School promotes quality effective teaching and learning in
structured but flexible learning-centered methodologies, promotes meaningful child
 47

participation, appropriate gender-responsiveness, and equality-based interactive

methodologies for the child, promotes quality learning outcomes equally for girls and
boys; and maximizes the use of available resources.
The CFS work plan should include actions that the school will undertake to
enhance teaching of reading and writing and life skills. This should include targets for
provision of teaching and learning materials. Preparation of lesson plans that take care of
learners with diverse backgrounds and abilities, selection of varied and relevant interactive
teaching methodologies and assessment methods (UNICEF, 2002).

2.7 Safe and healthy sanitation facilities and retention rates

In Punjab, the quality and adequacy of school infrastructure in terms of access
to water and sanitation services have always been a challenge hence contributing to
enrolment and high drop-out rates, particularly for girls; therefore, priorities were
identified as requiring inclusion in an appropriate initiative for upgrading school facilities,
a washroom for senior girls and access for disabled pupils (ESAR, 2006).
According to GoK (2001), a safe school must have sanitation facilities built up
to the required standards and kept clean with high standards of hygiene. Pit latrines should
not be less than 6 metres (2ft) deep and should be regularly disinfected. They should be at
least 15 metres (50ft) away from a borehole or well or water supply point. In the
construction of sanitary facilities, the following must be observed in relation to numbers.
The first 30 learners: 4 closets (holes), the next 270:1 extra closet for every 30 learners,
every additional learner over 270:1 closet per 50 learners.

2.8 Benefits of school community participation in school Programs

The mobilization of the community may bring many benefits which include
providing funds for the construction of classrooms and sanitation facilities, providing
food, offering paid and unpaid labour for building school’s structures, planting trees,
sourcing land and supplying locally procurable materials among other duties (UNICEF,
2009).
In Punjab, it was observed that strengthening and establishing collaboration
relationships between the school, families, children and stakeholders helps to create one of
the key dimensions of a Child-Friendly School education. The way in which the school
infrastructure is designed and managed can assist in developing strong partnerships
between the community and school. The communities involved must be considered
throughout the decision making process; from planning, designing to construction and
maintenance (RMOE, 2009).
 48

In Pakistan, UNICEF has provided technical and financial support to the Ministry
of Education (MoE for the development, experimentation and implementation of the
Contracts for School Success Program (CPRS). The CPRS is a voluntary commitment
among local stakeholders to improve primary school education. The process commences
at the beginning of the school year, when the school directors, pupils, parents and
community leaders or local authorities come together to review and discuss school results
and learning conditions. The intent of the review was to identify those actions that were
required to improve the school in general and retention rates in particular.

2.9 Effects of school feeding Programs on access and retention rates

School-based health and nutrition Programs encourage parents to send children
to school regularly and encourage communities to prepare and support school garden
projects hence providing children with good nutrition and helping in developing attitudes,
knowledge and values to make appropriate dietary decisions throughout their lives
(UNICEF, 2006). Studies have revealed a strong correlation between children’s health
and their learning ability.
Children in poor health are more likely to learn less as they are unable to
concentrate. In turn, their lower learning achievements are likely to cause their grade
repetition and possibly eventually drop-out. In Angola; for example, high levels of
retention of 1.3 million over aged children at primary level and drop out at 75% before
reaching Grade 6 posed severe challenges in ensuring Universal quality primary
Education. Since 2005, UNICEF in Angola has been supporting the Ministry of Education
(MoE) and Ministry of Health (MoH) in a joint effort to strengthen the capacity of primary
school to improve children’s health conditions and deliver basic health conditions and
deliver basic health and hygiene related messages to children as a prevention measure.
Primary schools were identified as the best possible channel for this effort in the current
Angolan context, as school takes the key responsibility in reaching children and
mobilizing parents and communities.
Coordinating the effort is a working group formed by MoE, MoH, UNICEF,
WHO and WFP. Through the campaigns in 2006 and 2007, an estimated 4.1 million
primary school children benefited from feeding interventions in approximately 14,000
schools across 18 provinces. The same scale of coverage was achieved from the 2008 and
2009 campaign, reaching over 4 million children nationwide each year. This resulted to
improved health of the children and eventually enhancing children’s learning
 49

achievements and helping keep them in school, thus contributing to a reduction in

repetition and drop-out (UNICEF, 2009).
The school Management committee should ensure that illegal
hawking/vending of food to school children in the school compound or its vicinity is
prohibited and where the school has a feeding Program provided by an outsider, the
quality of food must be inspected on an regular basis (MoE, 2008).According to Standards
Manual for all the schools in Kenya, good health and nutrition are indispensable for
effective learning and learners can reap maximum benefits from teaching/learning process
if they are healthy (MOEST, 2008).

2.10 Conceptual framework

Figure 2.2 Interplay of factors influencing the implementation of Child-

Friendly School Program

Provision of Schools’
Classroom Facilities

Provision of sanitation  High earner achievement

facilities  Regular school
attendance
Implementation of  High retention rates
Child Friendly School  High completion rates
School community  High transition rates
participation in school Program
Program
Provision of school feeding
Programs

 Minimal wastage in education system

 Acquisition of proper knowledge, skills and
attitudes
 Improper health and nutrition
 Participation in community work and
This conceptual framework had development
 Low crime rates
focused on assessing the  Self employment
 Acquisition of survival techniques
 50

outcome on the implementation of Child-Friendly School Program (dependent variable)

and the factors that influence it (independent variables). Timely satisfaction of the
mentioned preconditions (independent variables) in public primary schools Provision in
Bahawalpur district led to the implementation of Child-Friendly School Program that
enhanced learning achievement, school attendance, retention rates, completion rates,
transition rates coupled with other long term social and economic benefits.

Chapter No. 3 Research Methodology

3.1 Research Design
The social world of human beings is composed of a complex array of realities
that are highly context bound and in a flux (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000, p. 181).
Tajik (2004) says that “the social world in which we live, breathe, and acts ever-changing,
multidimensional, and therefore, very complex” (p. 62). If realities are complex and
context-bound then studying the life world of human beings would need a research
approach which is scientifically rigorous and yet sensitive to these complex realities. A
phenomenological approach may be employed to study a social phenomenon (Van, 1997).
This means that studying a social phenomenon needs a qualitative approach that
takes the researcher into the very heart of the research setting to describe, analyze and
draw conclusions of the research participants and their world. Hence, a qualitative
approach to this study was adopted as the most appropriate course of action. Within this
particular qualitative approach, a comparative case study method (Bogdan & Biklen,
1998) was deemed to be most beneficial.
In addition, data was collected through a combination of tools, which included
observations, focus group and semi structured interviews. The focus group participants
and the interviewees were selected from a variety of stakeholders, which included parents,
students, teachers and head teachers from public sector to get a comprehensive and
representative analysis. Informal conversations with different stakeholders and self
reflections contributed to clarify different aspects of the issues and findings. The approach
of using multiple methods or data sources in research is called ‘triangulation’ (Cohen,
2000), which enables a greater understanding of complex human behaviour and provides
multiple perspectives, (Denscombe, 1998).
The study adopted the descriptive survey design. Gay (1981), defines descriptive
survey as a process of collecting data in order to test the hypothesis or to answer questions
concerning the current status of the subjects. Orodho (2008), Brog and Gall (1989), noted
 51

that descriptive survey is intended to provide statistical information about aspects of

education that interest policy makers and educators. It was appropriate in this study as it
aimed at establishing the status of the schools with regard to the implementation of Child-
Friendly School Program.
Accordingly, this research sought to understand the ways in which local
communities negotiate transnational influences exhibited as a particular model of primary
education. This exploratory research was conducted in the form of a critical ethnographic
inquiry based on a theoretical montage that employed elements of three distinct but related
research traditions: critical theory (CT), feminism, and post colonialism.

3.2 Population
The focus group participants and the interviewees were selected from a variety
of stakeholders, which included parents, students, teachers and head teachers from public
sector to get a comprehensive and representative analysis.
The target population consisted of all public schools in Bahawalpur district, all
head teachers, all teachers and class eight pupils. There are 57 registered schools in
Pahawalpur district, 57 head teachers, and 768 teachers, 3750 class eight pupils (Statistical
Returns, DEO’s Office, Kikuyu District, and March 2013).

3.3 Sampling size and sampling technique

According to Best and Khan (2008), the ideal sample should be large enough to
serve as adequate representation of the population about which the researcher wishes to
generalize the findings. Stratified sampling was used to select the 17 schools.

3.4 Instrumentation
In this study, two instruments were used to collect data; questionnaires and
observation schedule. The questionnaires comprised of part A and B. Part A consisted of
personal information about the respondents while part B consisted of both closed and open
ended questions focusing on the concept of Child Friendly School Program in schools.
Three sets of questionnaires were used; the head teachers’, teachers’ and class eight
pupils’ questionnaires. An observation schedule contained areas of observation that
included; classrooms, sanitation facilities, halls and school grounds.
These included a student survey (for use in grades 5 and up), teacher survey,
school head survey, classroom observation tool, school-wide observation tool (including
both indoor and outdoor areas), and interview and focus group protocols to learn more
from students, parents, teachers, school heads and other key stakeholders.
 52

3.5 Validity and Reliability of Instrument

Validity of an instrument refers to the ability of that instrument to measure what
it is supposed to measure (Borg and Gall, 1989). Validity of the instruments was discussed
by presenting the instruments to the two supervisors whose expert judgment was used to
improve on accuracy, format and content of the instruments.
Reliability is a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields
consistent results or data after repeated trials (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). To establish
the reliability of the instrument, the measures should give consistent results from the test.

Chapter No. 4 Results and Discussions

4.1 Introduction
The study assessed the factors influencing factors influencing the implementation of
Child-Friendly School Program in Bahawalpur district. This chapter presents and
discusses the findings of the study. Data collected is interpreted in reflection to the
research objectives. Analyzed data is compiled into frequencies, percentages and
presented in tables, pie charts and bar graphs.

4.2 Questionnaire return rate

 53

The researcher targeted 17 public primary schools, 17 head teachers, 131 teachers and 197
primary school students; therefore, 345 questionnaires were administered. A total of 345
questionnaires (representing 100%) were returned.

4.3 Demographic Information

The researcher sought to know from the teachers their gender and presented
the findings in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Teachers’ gender

Frequency Percentage
Yes 12 70.5

No response 5 29.4

Total 17 100.0

Table 4.1 shows that majority of the teacher population is dominated by female teachers
(70.5%).There is gender disparity in the teaching fraternity of Bahawalpur district.
Girls and boys need to be represented by male and female teachers who are
good role models so as to be moulded as good citizens.
The researcher requested the teachers to indicate their age bracket.

Table 4.2 Teacher age bracket

Age Frequency
Percentage
20-25 3 2.3

26-30 19 14.9

31-40 38 29.0

41-50 51 38.9

Above 50 20 15.2

Total 131 100.0

The study findings show that most of the teachers are aged between 31 to 50 years. The
age of a person enhances professional competence from past experiences thus an
individual long term experience affects the efficiency and performance of and the
individual.
4.4 Provision of classroom facilities
 54

The study sought to establish whether boys and girls are treated equally by teachers in
classes. The findings are as per Table 4.3.

Table 4.3 Boys and girls are treated equally

Frequency Percentage

Yes 197 100.0

No 0 0

There is no gender bias by teachers to pupils in primary schools in Bahawalpur district.

According to (MOEST, 2010), Child-Friendly Schools, learners become more
self-confident , develop greater self-esteem, take pride in themselves and their
achievements, learn how to learn independently inside and outside school, apply what they
learn in school to their everyday lives; such as at play and at home and learn to interact
actively and happily with their classmates and teachers.
The head teachers were asked to comment on the availability of disability-
friendly facilities such as ramps and stairways in classrooms. Their responses are as per
Table 4.4

Table 4.4 Head teachers’ responses on availability of disability- friendly

facilities such as ramps and stairways in classrooms.
Frequency Percentage
Yes 7 46.7

No 8 53.3

Total 15 100

No response 2

Fifty three percent of the respondents indicated that schools do not have Child- Friendly
facilities such as ramps and stairways for the disabled children.
Children with special needs are at times excluded from learning. This often
happens when schools fail to effectively implement policies or Programs that support the
inclusion of learners with physical, emotional, or learning impairments. The school’s
facilities such as steps and stairways may block such children from entering school.
The researcher sought to find out from the teachers whether they had ideas of any children
who had never enrolled. The responses are as per Table 4.6
 55

Table 4.5 Teachers’ responses on whether there were school-going age children
who had never enrolled in school
Responses Frequency
Percentage
Yes 106 85.5

No 18 14.5

Total 124 100

No response 7 131

From Table 4.6, some of the teachers (14%) did not know any existing non-
enrolled child in their area. This may imply that there are very few school aged children
who are not enrolled in school. Despite the introduction of Free Primary Education, there
are still school- going age children who have never enrolled in school. The population of
school- going aged children enrolled in schools affects the number of classroom facilities
to be provided to pupils (MOEST, 2008).
The findings of the study on whether teachers knew if CFS encourages safe protective
environment were presented in Table 4.7

Table 4.6 Child - Friendly School encourages safe and protective environment
Frequency Percentage
Very important 107 82.3

Important 13 10

Not important 6 4.6

Do not know 4 3.1

Total 130 100

No response 1

Total 131

The study findings revealed that the majority of the teachers indicated that CFS
is very important in encouraging safe and protective environment. Ensuring that all
children are safe and able to learn is an essential part of a Child- Friendly School. School
 56

safety policies state that actions be taken to improve the overall safety and protection of
children , especially those with diverse backgrounds and abilities.
These policies promote a positive emotional environment for children; for
instance, safety measures like installing fire extinguishers in classroom facilities,
enclosure of school grounds by fencing, putting up a gate and practicing fire drills.
Indeed, no meaningful teaching and learning can take place in an environment that is
unsafe and insecure to both the learners and the teachers. It is therefore imperative that
education stakeholders foster safe and secure environment to facilitate increased learner
enrolment, retention and completion hence the attainment of quality education.
The teachers were asked to comment on whether Child-Friendly School encourages
attendance of pupils. Their comments are as per Table 4.8

Table 4.7 Child- Friendly School encourages attendance

CFS Frequency Percentage
Valid Very important 104 80.0

Important 16 12.31

Not important 7 5.38

Don’t know 3 2.3

Total 130 100

No response 1
Total 131

The study findings revealed that a majority of the teachers indicated that CFS
is very important in encouraging pupils’ attendance. Child-Friendly School environment
enhances retention rates, better academic performance, increased enrolment, learners
being motivated to learn and enjoying going to school.
Child-centered methods used in classrooms promote participation of all children
hence increasing their learning outcomes. In addition, there will be reduced pupil drop-
outs, increased transition from primary to secondary school, improved self-esteem among
pupils and increased attendance.
The teachers were asked to comment on whether the school buildings were friendly to
children with disabilities. Their responses are as per 4.8
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Table 4.8 Pupils have access to safe clean water for drinking and washing
Frequency Percentage

Valid Yes 188 100

Missing No response 9
Total 197

There is safe clean water for drinking and washing hands in public primary
schools in Pakistan. Good health and hygiene of learners is very crucial for lack of it may
lead to irregular attendance of pupils in schools.
The study sought to establish whether schools experienced safety problems and the
findings are as per Table 4.9

Table 4.9 Safety problems in schools

Frequency Percentage
Valid Yes 187 100

Missing No response 10

Total 197

All the respondents who answered this question indicated that there are safety problems in
their respective schools.
According to Ndiangui (2010), there are various types of hazards existing within
the school set- up in different proportions that expose learners to disaster situations in
some schools in Pakistan the magnitude of the hazards is higher than in others, implying
that some schools are more vulnerable than others. Other factors, for example, lack of
safety assessment on classroom facilities; like, exposed electricity wires, lack of basic
training on security and use of fire extinguishers in key exits and lack of fire drills among
other factors, expose schools to disaster.
The study sought to establish whether boys and girls are treated equally by teachers in
classes and findings are as per Table 4.10

Table 4.10 Boys and girls are treated equally

Frequency Percentage

Yes 197 100.0

No 0 0
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There is no gender bias by teachers to pupils in primary schools in Kikuyu

district.
According to (MOEST, 2010), Child-Friendly Schools, learners become
more self-confident, develop greater self-esteem, take pride in themselves and their
achievements, learn how to learn independently inside and outside school, apply what they
learn in school to their everyday lives; such as at play and at home and learn to interact
actively and happily with their classmates and teachers.

4.5 Provision of sanitation facilities

To find out whether schools provided separate toilets for boys and girls, the head teachers’
responses were presented in Table 4.11

Table 4.11 Head teachers’ responses on separate toilets for boys and girls
Frequency
Percentage
Yes 16 94.1

No 1 5.9

Total 17 100.0

Only one respondent indicated that his/her school did not have separate toilets
for boys and girls. However, the rest of the head teachers (94.1%) confirmed that toilet
facilities are separated. Girls and boys must have equal access to adequate sanitation
facilities in schools and must be separated with their own wash basins and taps. The
separation must have adequate, visual noise and odour separation (Rwanda, MOE, 2009).
The study sought to find out whether the schools provided toilet facilities for children with
disabilities and the following responses were provided as in Table 4.12.

Table 4.12 Head teachers’ responses on the provision of toilets for children with
disabilities
Frequency Percentage
No 15 88.23

Yes 2 11.76
 59

Few of the school heads indicated that they had toilets for children with disabilities in their
schools.
In some cases, the physical design and infrastructure of a school may exclude
children with disabilities. The design or lack of separate toilets may inadvertently obstruct
access and participation for children with disabilities. The study sought to establish
whether there are school buildings friendly to children with disabilities. The findings are
as per Table 4.13.

Table 4.13 School buildings friendly to children with disability

Frequency
Percentage
Yes 177 89.8

No 20 10.2
Total 197 100

Only 10% of respondents indicated that buildings in their respective schools are
not friendly to children with disabilities.

Special adaptations for disabled school children must be incorporated into the
design and location of water and sanitation facilities. Too often, the needs of children with
disabilities are ignored or simply forgotten. The quality and adequacy of school
infrastructure in terms of access to water and sanitation services have always been a
challenge hence contributing to enrolment and high drop-out rates particularly for girls;
therefore, priorities are identified as requiring inclusion in an appropriate initiative for
upgrading school facilities, a washroom for senior girls and access for disabled pupils.
The study sought to find out whether Child-Friendly School encourages enrolment. The
findings are as per Table 4.14.

Table 4.14 Child Friendly School encourages enrolment

Frequency Percentage
Very important 102 77.86

Important 23 17.56

Not important 3 2.29

Don’t know 3 2.29

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Total 131 100.0

The study findings revealed that a majority of the teachers indicated that Child-
Friendly School is very important in encouraging enrolment.
Child-Friendly School demand that all school-going age children who are
excluded from school for whatever reason; join schooling and enjoy learning. The
classroom and sanitation facilities should reflect inclusion of all children from diverse
backgrounds to attract those school-going age children who are not enrolled in school.
The study findings on whether schools have facilities like ramps in their buildings are as
per Table 4.15.

Table 4.15 The schools’ disability friendly facilities

Frequency
Percentage
Yes 3 17.65

No 14 82.35
Total 17 100

Only three respondents indicated that their school sanitation facilities are friendly
to children with disabilities.

Facilities for the disabled children like the ramps in school buildings make them
accessible to children with disabilities hence improving their attendance (MOEST, 2010).

CHAPTER NO 5: CONCLUSION
5.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the summary of the findings, conclusions and
recommendations generated from the research findings of the study. The chapter also
presents suggestions for further study.
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5.2 Summary
In this section, we explored the extent to which Child Friendly
Schools in Pakistan have achieved increased student and community awareness of
democratic rights, a shared sense of responsibility, and increased democratic participation
in schools. In the majority of schools, school heads, teachers and students saw an effort
being made to increase awareness of children’s rights. While most students believed that
boys and girls were treated equally at their school, and most believed that their school was
a welcoming place for all types of students, these feelings were not universal. One area of
ongoing concern is that while many school buildings have been made accessible to
individuals with physical disabilities, the school grounds themselves are often inaccessible
from the surrounding community due to problems such as steep terrain. This lack of
community access to school grounds meant that students with physical disabilities were
sometimes excluded from education.
The study was to assess the factors influencing the implementation of
Child Friendly School Program in public primary schools in County. The study was
guided by the following objectives; provision of schools’ classroom facilities, provision of
schools’ sanitation facilities, community participation in school Programs and provision of
school feeding Programs and how they affect the implementation of Child Friendly School
Program.
The significance of interrelationships between the various internal
components of an organization. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and
targeted 57 public primary schools thus a target population of 57 head teachers, 768
teachers and 3750 class eight pupils. Stratified sampling was used to sample 17 schools
based on the school zonal divisions. Data was collected using questionnaires for head
teachers, teachers and class eight pupils. An observation schedule was used to check the
condition of the school facilities and the general school ground. Data collection
instruments were validated through expert judgment from the university supervisors and
reliability tested through piloting. Collected data was analyzed into frequencies and
percentages and presented in tables, pie charts and bar graphs.

5.3 Findings
The demography of the study shows that the majority of the teacher
population was female teachers (55.7%). Their age groups were evenly distributed across
all age groups. The majority of the teacher respondents (94.6%) and head teachers (70.6%)
 62

indicated that their schools had put in place Programs to address problems faced by pupils.
The teachers (90.1%) further agreed that their schools have school-based policies on
prevention of violence on pupils. The study objective one sought to determine how the
provision of classroom facilities affects the implementation of Child-Friendly School
Program in public primary schools.
The study findings revealed that the majority of the pupils indicated
that class sizes varies from as low as thirty up to sixty and that the number of classrooms
in schools ranged from eleven and thirty two. Schools have inclusive Child-Friendly
School classrooms where there is interactive teaching and learning methods like
discussions and role play and other child-centered methods that promote equal
participation and learning hence increasing learners’ interest to learn and where teachers
use locally available materials and learning space sufficient to all learners.
The objective two sought to establish the provision of schools’
sanitation facilities and how they affect the implementation of CFS Program in public
primary schools. The study findings showed that the sanitation and water status of the
schools affect the implementation of Child-Friendly School Program in public primary
schools. It was revealed that all schools have separate toilets for girls and boys but lack
enough water points to facilitate proper hygiene and good health.
The study objective three sought to establish the extent to which
school community participation in school Programs influence the implementation of
Child-Friendly School Program in public schools. The study findings revealed that the
majority of the school-community is actively involved in school activities and is equally
represented by males and females in school committees. There was evidence of outreach
activities done by school in the community to help the non-attending pupils attend school
by parents who supported the learning of their children. The majority of parents
participated in meetings showing that they were interested in the learning of their children;
however, some cases of uninterested parents were also reported.
The study objective four sought to examine how the provision of
school feeding Programs affects the implementation of Child-Friendly School Program in
public primary schools. The findings revealed that a majority of schools did not have
feeding Programs in their schools and a majority of pupils left school for their homes to
get lunch hence wasting time meant for studies leading to low learner achievements. The
study showed that a regular school-feeding Program is an effective tool in improving
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school attendance in pupils hence increasing learner outcomes and eventually enhancing
retention, completion and transition to secondary school.

5.4 Discussion
Students of both sex (boys and girls) belonging to child friendly
schools were rated significantly better in school learning environment than students from
conventional schools. They mentioned significantly higher on all the aspects of learning
environment via hygienic conditions, protective and the welcoming environment, child
centered learning environment, the conducive learning environment, teacher-student
interaction, physical state of the classroom and parent involvement. Therefore, it is
concluded that there were better hygienic conditions in child friendly schools as compared
with conventional schools.
Protective and welcoming environment was found in child friendly
schools. It was concluded that, in child friendly schools, classroom learning environment
was child centered and conducive. Physical environment of classroom was also found
better. It was concluded that the involvement of parents in school affairs and in other
activities was significantly higher as compared with the conventional schools. There was
positive and healthy teacher-students interaction was observed. It was evident from
finding that there is no corporal punishment and bullying in the child friendly schools.
They reported to be treated well and also reported not to have
corporal punishment and bullying. It is concluded that the better learning environment is
contributing towards the better academic performance. So that among entire group of boys
and girls a positive relationship was measured with reference to learning environment and
academic achievement.
Hence it can be concluded that due to good school environment
academic performance was better. Finding is supported by Vine (2006), who suggested
that CFS schools have been successful in bringing about higher level of academic
achievements and that they are differentially effective according to subject and gender.
The learning environment was considered as one of the major
contributors towards the school’s performance. After the detailed analysis of the student’s
responses vivid picture of the learning environment in two different types of schools has
been outlined. The results of the present study provide factual evidence that child friendly
program is successful.
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5.5 Conclusion
In conclusion, I can say that in the process of education, early
childhood education is the blossoming stage of human personality. The development
fostered during this period acts as a frame and foundation on which the superstructure of
an individual’s personality is built (Sadu, 2004). Realizing this fact, the National
Education Policy 1998-2010 recognized ECE as crucial for reducing dropout rate of
students at primary level and a powerful means to eliminate poverty in the long run.
The new idea (ECE) had not reached the implementation level when
the government of that time introduced another plan (2001-2011) called the National Plan
of Action (NPA) in the support of its agenda to revamp and modernize the education with
special emphasis on early education (ICG international crises group 2004). The plan,
along with its suggested strategies, was; of course, smart in theory but on a practical level
it was not implemented properly.
Likewise, in the context of Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan, the teacher
community feels that child friendly environment is very important in ECED setup. It is
basic foundation stage where children can develop their skills when they get a friendly
environment. Both the participants of this study strongly believed in the concept of child
friendly environment in ECE classrooms.
They also tried their level best to develop such an attractive
environment and were a good source of documenting and recording their practical work
and learning. Yet although each of the participant teachers in this study displayed a strong
connection with ECED children and teaching, the study also concludes that ECED
teachers in Pakistan may need to reflect on and understand how their classroom
environments and behaviors are likely to influence students’ learning. They need to reflect
on what strategies and skills should they apply to develop child friendly environment in
the schools of the region.
Learning is central to education and in line with the child-centered
principle and the child as learner is central to the process of teaching and learning. The
classroom process should not be one in which children are passive recipients of knowledge
dispensed by a sole authority, the teacher. It should be an interactive process in which
children are active participants in observing, exploring, listening, reasoning, questioning
and ‘coming to know’. This is at the heart of the classroom process in all Child-Friendly
School models, and it is critical for teachers to be well-trained in this pedagogy.
 65

A quality learning environment promotes high-quality teaching of

relevant knowledge and skills through instruction that is adopted to meet students’ needs
and that encourage children’s active engagement of all stakeholders, rather than relying on
traditional rote learning approaches. When teachers encourage pupils to be actively
engaged in the learning process and to do well and when pupils are presented with
interesting learning opportunities, they are more likely to stay in school and succeed
academically.
Children’s active participation in learning reflects not only a child-
centered approach to pedagogy but also the principle of democratic participation that
involves families in activities and promotes school community partnerships.
Child-Friendly School means that the school that helps to take care of
all children in all aspects, seek out non-attending and non-enrolled school-going age
children and offer nutrition and health services so that they grow up to be good citizens.
What can be done to help make all schools safe, Child-Friendly
Schools? I commend on the work that is already underway, the legislation that has already
been passed, the Plan that was developed in 2008 and the plans that currently are in the
making. You have already achieved much, but you have convened this symposium
because you know there is more that you can do.
In the area of Physical and Environmental Conditions, most
classrooms were observed to be clean, to provide students with adequate light and
ventilation, and to be equipped with a blackboard. Usually all students had a desk or chair
in class and an adequate workspace, but sometimes these were not the right size or
configuration for students of different heights, left-handed students, and students with
disabilities. While many schools were free from hazards on school grounds (e.g., no open
wells), stakeholders did express concern about physical hazards students faced while
travelling to and from school (such as steep terrain).
In the area of School Health and Nutrition, efforts were being made
to address these issues at schools, but this remains an area of concern. Most stakeholders
seemed aware of the need to protect and promote student health, and most schools seemed
to have some way of getting medical screening or care for children who needed it.
Students seem to have internalized healthy practices such as brushing their teeth and
washing their hands, and there was evidence that students were sharing these practices
with the larger community. Some schools had also reached out to the community to
 66

provide health information. Schools did not seem to be doing as well in the area of student
nutrition.

5.6 Recommendations
The main recommendations are as follows:-
o Improvement in CFS programming aspects, such as identifying strong school
leaders and equipping them with more skills and capacity to implement CFS,
developing strategies to improve readiness for CFS implementation at the school
and community level,
o Positioning CFS as a good model for teaching life skills education by playing on
the relationship with inclusiveness, child-centeredness, and democratic
participation.
o Educationists should organize for forums to create community awareness on the
importance of quality education to learners and its impact on the community.

o Educational policymakers should come up with policies on measures to be used for

provision, improvement and implementation of Child Friendly School environment
in the education sector.

o The government should enforce the law on Child-Friendly school policies that
should be implemented by all stakeholders.

o The head teachers should facilitate collaborative relations with parents and other
stakeholders so that Child-Friendly School environment is achieved in schools.

o The government should train teachers on the aspect of Child-Friendly School

environment to enhance its implementation.

o The Ministry of Education should facilitate seminars and workshops for head
teachers and teachers on the concept of Child-Friendly School Program and to
enhance its implementation and evaluation.
 67

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School Development Plan A Plan identifying the needs of each school and the
steps and resources required to address them. Formally known as a School
Improvement Plan.