Most of the population live in small scattered settlements along the river valleys; they are primarilyengaged in subsistence agriculture. The construction of the Karakorum Highway has transformed lifealong its length, opening up the area to outside influence. This has a considerable effect on the indigenouseconomy and culture, bringing them more closely in line with those in the rest of Pakistan.
Few but the largest landowners are able to make a living from agriculture and most households havesince long had to supplement their earnings with income earned by one or more household memberswho work for varying lengths of time in other parts of Pakistan.
In the last ten to fifteen years, there has been a great increase in the number of schools and in schoolenrollment in the area, but literacy levels are still very low. In Chitral, the literacy level is 14 per cent, one-third of the national average; for women, it is one-eighth of the national average or 2 per cent. Untilrelatively recently, there was no higher education in the region; all professionals and universitygraduates had been educated in the South.
Traditionally, education in the region has been provided mainly by the government through a systemof free primary, middle and more recently high schools. The schools, with stone walls and corrugatediron roofing on timber trusses, are often built on land donated by the local community, butincreasingly the government is buying the land, as it becomes more valuable and more scarce. Like inthe rest of the country, the schooling of girls is separated from that of the boys, except where shortageof space or teachers forces coeducation.
There has been increasing pressure on the Aga Khan Education Services, Pakistan (AKESP) to providebetter teaching environments for its schools. In 1978, the AKESP proposed to build 71 three-roomunits in the Northern Areas. In 1981, it was decided to first construct a prototype school. While thisschool was being constructed, 11 communities went ahead and constructed schools using their ownresources. Five of the communities obtained a sketch of the plan of the as-then unfinished school andproceeded to build their schools based on that design with minor modifications, using local materialsand traditional techniques. Unfortunately, due to the absence of technical guidance, a number ofdefects became obvious in the construction.
The spirit demonstrated by these communities was, however, much admired by the AKESP and the question was raisedhow to foster, rather than finance, the replication of the school throughout the NorthernAreas and at the same time maintain some control over the design of the buildings and the quality ofthe construction. A proposal was developed for a Self-help School Construction Programme to bebacked up with technical assistance. As the programme was designed and detailed, it started to receivefunds from the Aga Khan Foundation in 1983. The first awards for the construction of 15 schoolswere made to 4 villages in 1984.
The school design had to respond to the terrain, with usually only a few large building sites available.The design had to be suitable to a range of schools, from primary through middle to high schools,including the possibility for expansion from one level to the next. Climatically, the design had torespond to the long cold winters as well as the heat and solar radiation during the summer months.The school buildings were expected to present a distinctive image, symbolizing the community'sattitude and commitment to education. The schools would have to be earthquake resistant and be able toserve as temporary shelters for those whose houses are destroyed in case of an earth quake. Thevillage would have to donate a piece of land of 150'x150'.
Eligibility requirements for an award for the construction of a school are the willingness of thecommunity to construct a school, existence of the school for at least three years and a minimum of 60students, one-third being girl students. The villagers are informed about the programme and itsprocedures through village dialogues. Communities that need a school and feel that they are able tomeet the requirements of the programme can make an application for an award. The applications arescrutinized by a project coordination committee which also undertakes site visits.
A school consists of 13 rooms, 16'x30' or 16'x32' and is built in 4 phases. The villagers provide unskilledlabour, sand, aggregate and gravel, while the programme pass for the skilled labour (mason, carpenteretc.) and cement, steel and fostering.
There is a generally high level of satisfaction with the programme among the villagers themselves andconsiderable pride and sense of achievement. The success of the programme arises from the genuineneed felt by the community and their struggle, support and involvement with the service agencies toacquire it. In addition, the total partnership commitment brings to the programme the spirit ofcollective development.
Besides a growing interest in education, the SHSC Programme has facilitated an increase in school enrollment,because communities realize that they are not eligible for an extension of the primary school to middleand high education unless the prerequisite enrollment is reached.
One of the stated objectives of the programme was to improve the quality of education and physicalacademic environment. The new schools have brought with them new, more and more qualifiedteachers, as well as new furniture and teaching aids. This has had a positive impact on the quality of the education.
The programme has trained masons and carpenters, upgrading their skills through apprenticeships andlearning-by-doing. The discipline of working to specification is probably the most important transfer oftechnology that has taken place. Though the number of persons trained may appear to be small, theyare likely to make an impact for the region. Already, the fact of having worked on the programme hasenhanced their reputation and therefore the wages they can command; masons who previously workedfor Rs.90 are now earning Rs.120 per day.
An evaluation study indicated that the use of indigenous materials would have a considerable impacton the quality of construction in the region, as it could be replicated using appropriate technology inthe construction of their houses.