Blackburn school thanked for charity cash (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn school thanked for charity cash
2:17pm Monday 21st February 2011 in Blackburn
By Nafeesa Shan, Reporter
PERSONAL THANKS Principal Mohammad Shuaib visits Pleckgate and chats with students
TEACHERS from an area of Pakistan hit by the floods have personally thanked students from Blackburn for their fundraising efforts.
Headteachers Safia Noor and Mohammad Shuaib and senior English teachers Shanaz Anjum and Mohammad Wisal visited Pleckgate High School Maths Computing College as part of an exchange programme.
Their schools, in the Charsadda region of Pakistan, had to be closed to pupils The buildings were used as shelter and aid centres in the aftermath of the floods which devastated the area in July last year.
Up to 2.5million people were affected and thousands killed as a result of the disaster, the country’s worst flooding in 80 years.
Students from Year 10, who are part of Pleckgate’s Oxfam Youth Action Group, told of their efforts to raise money to help the flood victims, including pupils and families at the exchange teachers’ schools.
Pleckgate High School, alongside Lammack Primary School, have also been developing links by working with pupils and staff from the Pakistan schools as part of a project aimed at understanding the different cultures and religions.
The schools have been linked together by a British Council Connecting Classrooms initiative, which aims to build relationships with UK schools and those in other countries.
Pupils have been communicating through Skype, software which allows users to make voice calls over the internet, and regularly send videos, photographs and class work.
Safia said: “The project and activities are designed to improve the skills of students and teach them how to become good citizens.
“There is a great difference in the education system here, the classroom, resources and facilities.
“The attitude is totally different and there are cultural differences.”
Pleckgate High School’s international project co-ordinator, Nicola Stanton, said: “This project is making a big difference because it is helping raise awareness of the problems around the world.”
Teachers from Pleckgate High School are hoping that they can travel to Pakistan to see the schools first hand and meet pupils when the political situation in the Charsadda region stabilises.
