KARACHI: “I did my schooling from a government school in Malir. My teachers couldn’t speak proper English, so neither could I,” Bakhtawar Khan told Dawn in fluent English as she practised a banana-pealing dance routine, some kind of energising exercise, with her friends to wake up the audience at the closing ceremony of the English micro-scholarship programme, Access, organised by iEarn Pakistan at a hotel here on Thursday.

Sahar Khan, who did her schooling from a government school in Mehmoodabad, and who also speaks very good English now, said: “We didn’t just learn proper grammar, we learnt how to carry ourselves in public with confidence. And we also learned how to teach to others what we learned.”

Hasnain Attari from Lyari said he was grateful to his teachers who never made fun of him when he couldn’t speak in English and also taught him something about American culture, a big part of which is community service.

Mohammad Junaid, who came from Madressah Islami School in Kharadar, said his teachers, besides teaching him proper English usage, taught him how to make use of the latest technology as tools for gaining knowledge.

It was a sea of dark blue graduation caps. Around 1,700 youngsters from Karachi alone completed the two-year US government-funded programme, 200 more than the 1,500 in the first batch that graduated a couple of years ago.

Speaking at the ceremony, Consul General Brian Heath said: “Education is the key to success. Through the Access programme we are pleased to play a role in helping smart and motivated Pakistani students learn valuable life skills.”

“The name Access doesn’t fully describe this programme as although its focus happens to be on English there are many other things there, too. Our role is to help you use English to be better citizens and achieve more in life. Children are the future. Access will help them get better education and take leadership roles in life. So as you complete one chapter by graduating, you are also beginning a new one,” he said.

Since its inception in 2004, over 95,000 students in more than 85 countries have participated in the Access programme.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014