For the implementation of activities within the Earthquake Response Programme (ERP), UNESCO, works in close consultation and collaboration with government counterparts and other partner organizations in the field. Specifically, UNESCO ERP works with the Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE) in NWFP and the Directorate of Education Extension (DEE) in AJK. Interventions are tailored to fit local needs that are identified in consultation with affected communities and relevant government authorities. Training materials developed with UNESCO support are thus the result of an intensive collaborative process. Inputs from education officials structure the capacity building plan for teachers and managers, thus engaging key stakeholders in the sound reactivation of the education system in the earthquake-affected areas.

Directorate of Curriculum and Teacher Education (DCTE), NWFP

UNESCO ERP has collaborated with the DCTE in NWFP to develop a teacher training course. This course was designed to support teachers and students in the affected areas. The objective was to help teachers understand the reasons for and possible responses to natural disasters, to help them meet the psycho-social needs of students and develop practical strategies in the classroom to “build back better”.  The associated pilot workshops for teachers were also part of this programme. In NWFP the “roll-out” of the training is supported jointly by UNESCO and UNICEF.

The teacher training materials are a result of a participatory process in which the DCTE assumed the leadership role. The final product which evolved as a comprehensive training module, incorporates feedback from relevant experts including representatives from UNESCO, UNICEF, ISCOS, IRC, Save the Children US, psychologists and religious scholars.

Directorate of Education Extension (DEE), AJK

The DEE has also provided substantive input in the teacher training materials. Like teacher training, support to educational managers in the affected areas is a key component of the UNESCO ERP. In the roll-out of the planning and management workshops for senior and middle managers, the DEE has provided crucial organizational and logistical support for the workshops in AJK. Officials from the DEE have also served as co-facilitators in the management workshops.

Educational officials in AJK and NWFP participated in a comprehensive assessment to identify training needs. Their input was used to structure the overall capacity building plan for managers and teachers with DEE as a key partner. To date, 150 senior managers have been trained by the DEE. For middle managers, the DEE are currently preparing for   training of 1700 middle managers in AJK using the planning and management training materials.

Others:

Projects Wing, Ministry of Education, Islamabad
Department of Schools and Literacy, NWFP
NWFP Textbook Board
BEFARe, NWFP
Elementary Education Foundation, NWFP
AJK Education Department
The Norwegian Refugee Council