Things are progressing: In May 2017, the Minister of Education of Gilgit-Baltistan Province approved the expansion of the government girls' high school up to grade 12. Two years later, the Minister for Public Infrastructure officially upgraded the school to a Higher Secondary School.

Since then, the existing school buildings have been expanded, and the school campus has been leveled and walled. After the expansion was stopped last year due to the pandemic and all construction workers returned to their hometowns, small construction crews were able to continue work this year. The new upper floors with additional classrooms have now been plastered and the interior work is underway. The construction of the campus wall is also progressing. The toilet wing is still missing. After completion of all construction phases and acceptance by the building authorities, 30-35 positions will be advertised, followed by the selection process for the teachers and other staff. This administrative procedure, which is normal in Pakistan, is also dragging on due to the pandemic. The recognition of the college, which has been financed by donations since 2005, as a Higher Secondary School does not mean any relief in terms of project costs for the time being.

A project visit to the Bagrot Valley in Northern Pakistan was again not possible this year. Again and again closed borders - also within the country, quarantine regulations here and there, again increasing numbers of infections in a weak health system, in addition exit restrictions, closed schools etc. A visit would have been too much of a burden for our friends in my opinion, on our part irresponsible. In Bagrot my absence is very much regretted and in some cases it is met with incomprehension.

Fortunately, the number of sick and deceased in the Bagrot Valley remained low, except for a few weeks in the summer. The provincial health authority reacted very quickly to this outbreak and sent mobile vaccination teams from house to house. In the meantime, the majority of the adult residents have been vaccinated and life in Bagrot is back to normal, I was told.

In the entire country, all educational institutions were closed for several months this year as well. The students in Bagrot practiced self-study, supported by the teachers by phone and, where necessary, with house calls. E-learning is not an option in the Bagrot Valley, because there is a lack of a reliable and sufficiently strong internet connection and also of the technical equipment in the families. The results were postponed exam dates, late announcement of the results of the annual exams in schools and thus late registrations for secondary schools such as our college. The good news: the college has been open regularly since August and registrations have been high.

Who would have thought of this? During summer a heated argument between active supporters of two political parties came to light. The responsibility for the government authority of the college announced four years ago by the then education minister of the province is bitterly disputed. Representatives of two parties claim the honor for this important decision. It's about electoral favor because most of the people in Bagrot are very proud to have a college in the valley. The happy third party in this political dispute are the girls and young women in Bagrot.

Monika Higher Secondary School

Our education project for girls has been running for 30 years in January 2022. When I lived and worked in Bagrot, there was something in the air, I now realize looking back to that time. The gradual successes since 1992 we owe to the many supporters in Germany and not least in Bagrot. The range of courses for girls was never seriously questioned. For several years now, the Girls High School (1^st to 10^th grade) has been adequately provided for by the government. The teachers for the secondary school years (11-14) at the college still have to be financed from private donations for the time being.

220 girls from the village of Datuchi and the surrounding hamlets attend the Government Girls High School Datuchi (grades 1-10) and are taught by 25 government-employed teachers. Primary schools for girls have existed for many years in the 5 other villages in the valley. All are very well attended. This tells a lot about the importance of schooling for girls in Bagrot today.

135 female students attend the Monika Higher Secondary School Datuchi from the 11^th to the 14^th grade. The 14^th grade could only start in November. The final exam for the 3^rd year of college (13^th grade) took place considerably late due to the pandemic. The central annual exams of the individual grade levels were straightened out in terms of time in order to be able to adhere to the distance rules. For these exams, pupils from different schools come together in a central school under official supervision. The 6 class groups are taught by 12 teachers who we finance with your donations.

"Education at Home" remained the college's motto this year as well. Study in the Bagrot Valley and not outside in the cities of the region where the number of infections is still high. This has had a big impact on the calls for new enrollments and returns to college.

The main subjects taught in college classes are Urdu, English, sociology, pedagogy, regional studies, economics, and in the science-oriented classes, physics, biology and chemistry. Since autumn this year, all public and private educational institutions in the country have been instructed by the government to introduce Arabic as a compulsory subject. In order to be able to take the annual exams as external students at a public college in the region, the students from Bagrot now also have to prove knowledge of Arabic. We have now recruited a teacher who can teach the basics. Qualified Arabic teachers expect a comparatively high fee because they are rare in the region.

A teacher in our team is also responsible for organizational tasks, supported by an assistant who takes care of the students personally. The college classes are taught in the afternoons in the then empty rooms of the girls' school. For lessons in the morning, as is generally the case, the completion of the additional classrooms must be awaited.

In the fall of 2021, we increased college faculty salaries. The strong inflation in Pakistan, most recently 12%, is having an impact in particular on prices for basic food and other everyday goods. This puts a heavy burden on economically poor households, like the majority in Bagrot. Pakistan has to import a lot of raw materials and staple foods. The Pakistani rupee has lost 40% of its value against the euro over the past three years. Today the country is right in the middle of a severe economic crisis.

It would be nice if all college students wore masks, as prescribed. In view of inflation, many households can hardly afford it. We're considering providing masks.

During my visit in September 2019, I did not meet any student from the Bagrot village of Sinakir in college. The way back home in the evening, in the dark, is dangerous. It leads through impassable, scree terrain. There is no public transport in the valley. Since the beginning of 2020 we have been sharing the travel costs for privately organized transport with the parents. After initially 10 students, 17 young women from Sinakir are now attending college.

Until August there was again a lack of continuous face-to-face teaching. There are few alternatives in Bagrot. “Home learning” does not work in many families. The teachers provided group and individual support over the phone and with house calls. The valley's internet connection was expanded a little bit with the help of an additional amplifier, because the curved course of the valley repeatedly poses mountain slopes as obstacles in the way of the signal. Only a few female students have access to a smartphone, hardly any to a tablet, laptop or the like - families don't have the money for that. So in the second year of the pandemic we hope that everything will continue to operate normally over the winter, with lots of lessons outdoors when the mountain sun is shining.

What has the girls' school achieved so far?

We have been observing school graduates for many years:
They marry a few years later, children come later and less because of family planning, they can communicate effortlessly in the official language, Urdu, they act self-confidently and independently, and enjoy greater appreciation within and outside of the family. They can help their children with school questions and homework (none of their mothers and grandparents were able to do that), some of them have studied and work outside of their own household and agriculture, usually as a teacher or in the health sector. With regard to the choice of profession, from our western perspective there is room for improvement.

In economic and social structures such as in Bagrot, young people show little ambition to develop their own professional or personal interests. When asked about personal inclinations, they usually respond with a certain lack of understanding and sometimes also helplessness. They haven't learned to take their lives into their own hands. The family, i.e. the elderly, usually determine all family and professional matters. We have seen this again and again. The teachers are also unable to mediate. It takes a lot of staying power and many convincing examples, because change would be tantamount to social change and, in my opinion, would require economic change.

Project Costs

The total costs for the teaching staff and material costs of the college financed by private donations amount to 17,000 EUR for the current school year.
We are very grateful for any support. There are many good examples of this that might inspire imitation. :

Public and face-to-face events and campaigns as in the past were unfortunately not possible due to the pandemic. I would like to thank all the silent donors all the more for their support. They keep the project going.

• From students for students: The Heinrich-Haus gGmbH vocational school in Neuwied supported the project with a donation again this year.
• Donations instead of gifts: Colleagues from my professional environment sweetened my retirement at the end of November with a generous donation.
  Relatives and friends have used private events over the year to support a good cause.
• Sewing for a good cause: A friend sews with great commitment in her free time. She donates the profit from the sale of Cologne keychaines, neck pillows, other practical items and, currently, protective face masks for the school project.
• Some permanent donors, long-term supporters and also the members of the Forum Kinder in Not e.V. contribute significantly to the continuation of the project.
  I am very grateful for their trust and loyalty.

100% of your donations go to the educational project. I would like to thank all supporters for their commitment to this good cause. The students, parents, teachers and many other people from the Bagrot Valley send out a many-voiced Thank You and greetings. I wish you and you: Above all, stay healthy!

With kind regards!
Monika Schneid
Hamburg, 2021

Further Informations:

Donation Account: Kreissparkasse Tübingen, IBAN: DE31641500200002753609, BIC: SOLADES1TUB, Forum Kinder in Not e.V. Heading "Pakistan".

Images: College teacher Kaseer, 2020 (Many thanks to Kaseer for providing his cell phone photos.)