Schools:
All TCF schools are established in purpose-built premises, designed by reputed architects; M/s. Arshad Shahid Abdulla in Karachi and M/s. Republic Engineering in Lahore . School buildings are equipped with airy and fully furnished classrooms, an administrative block, a play area, library, Computer labs and Science labs, an art room and all essential facilities to provide students with a stimulating learning environment
A Standard TCF Primary School has:
. A total covered area of 6,000 – 6,500 square feet
· 6 classrooms
· Student capacity of 180
A Standard TCF Secondary School has:
· A total covered area of 15,000 - 16,000 square feet
· 10 classrooms
· Student capacity of 360
· Well-equipped physics, chemistry, biology and computer laboratories
Curricula:
TCF''s Education Program seeks to bring about a qualitative and quantitative change in the education sector for its students through:
Purpose-built schools with all facilities necessary to create a stimulating learning environment.
A relevant and comprehensive curriculum with guidelines for teachers and principals
Activity based teaching and learning that help children understand, recognize, reason and enjoy the learning process.
Well-equipped Computer and Science Labs to provide students hands-on experience.
An effective teachers'' training program through annual developmental (in-service and pre-service) training.
A comprehensive training module for the training of trainers.
An effective system of monitoring and evaluation to ensure quality and standardization.
A parent/teacher relationship based on trust and co-operation.
Scholarships and assistance to needy students at all levels.
Curriculum in TCF Schools has been designed to provide quality education that is modern in its approach yet traditional in its values. It promotes an interactive approach having child-centered environment. Emphasis is laid on ‘learning by doing'', which has a greater impact on the child''s mind.
TCF schools follow a relevant and comprehensive curriculum, which is in line with the officially prescribed syllabus by the board of their respective region. However, this syllabus is suitably modified and regularly updated to meet the demands of modern-day education. To further enhance the syllabus and facilitate our teachers to teach effectively, guide lessons for prescribed textbooks are prepared by TCF. The teachers are also provided with attainment targets, which indicate the concepts , a child is expected to learn at the end of each class.
TCF believes in the holistic development of a child. Hence various extra-curricular activities form an integral part of the curriculum. Activities such as debates, essay writing, art, naat and qirat competitions along with sports are part and parcel of TCF system. TCF students are no way behind other students in the field of IT. They develop their computer skills in well-equipped Computer labs and carry out their prescribed practicals in the Science laboratories.
The program''s educational content and faculty''s teaching methods are both periodically assessed through classroom observations, checking teachers'' daily diaries, regular monitoring and independent evaluations. All these help to ensure better quality of teaching and learning in TCF schools. TCF schools are audited by external auditors with main emphasis on academics. This eventually leads towards enhancing academic standard further to ensure quality education.
Teacher Training Program:
Our goal is to ensure that TCF teachers and principals promote an environment of real learning. They must impart education in a culture of effective teaching and support. From the very beginning, it is instilled in our teachers that their primary goal is to promote their students'' physical and psychosocial development.
Every successful schooling system must have a comprehensive teacher- training programs, a philosophy that TCF realized when it first started building schools. In 1997, TCF opened its Teacher Training Centre where every new teacher, hired goes through four-weeks (approx: 110 -120 hrs.) of extensive pre-service training before being permitted to teach at a TCF school. TCF has a purpose-built Teacher Training facility in Karachi and a second one is under-construction in Lahore .
In addition to pre-service training, our faculty is given annual developmental (in-service) training to update their knowledge and equip them with latest teaching skills. To aid our teachers'' ongoing professional development, special training programs are also provided. Training in Computers, English Language skills, and Montessori skills are a few examples of TCF''s continuing efforts to encourage its teachers to constantly improve their teaching abilities.
The Training department runs TOT – Training of the Trainer, for their capacity building.
Apart from these activities, team members from the Head office and Teachers Training Centre are always encouraged to attend training programs to enhance their knowledge and expertise.
Evaluation:
We have developed and implemented an effective system of monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning. The basic purpose of this program is to support the schools to ensure effective academic management. At the same time it also evaluates the working of school administration and performance of teaching staff. This performance evaluation helps us in upgrading our systems, career planning of our academic staff and designing the annual developmental training for our faculty.
TCF College & Placement Project:
TCF''s Education Program is based on the idea that no child should ever be left behind in life due to his or her inability to avail the opportunities that education offers. Realizing the strong need for making further educational opportunities available to our students after graduating from TCF schools, we decided to expand our program and offer our students the chance to move beyond school.
Two new projects were launched to help our students move on to college and university education.
o TCF College Pilot Project
o TCF Placement Program
Scholarships & Assistance:
TCF schools are located in rural areas and urban slums where sending a child to school means losing a bread-earner. To ensure that education is affordable for every student, a pay-as-you-can afford system is in place, whereby, scholarships up to 95% are awarded on the basis of need. ''Need'' is ascertained on the grounds of the overall household income of each family, its circumstances and education related expenses.
Applicants for financial assistance provide necessary details about their family income and resources by completing a scholarship form. TCF school staff, through visits to the applicants'' homes, verifies this information. Finally, school principals send completed scholarship forms, along with their recommendations to the Regional Office where the final decision is taken.
Scholarships are given for one academic year and the recipients are eligible to reapply. Deserving students get uniforms and textbooks free of cost. Others are provided the facility of purchasing uniforms and textbooks on easy installments. This facility is offered to reduce the financial burden on parents at the beginning of the academic year, a time when they have to buy uniforms and textbooks for all their school-going children.
Many TCF students attend school by paying as little as Rs. 10 per month, including the cost of uniforms and books.