A vacation time interaction with students from underprivileged schools inspired Imran to start a summer program for children that would break down barriers of education, class and attitude, through critical thinking, connecting with others and identity development. Through Rabtt programs, doors open for children from all kinds of backgrounds as they undergo life-altering early experiences.
Azhar Rizvi’s Comments:
I met Imran about three years ago through another friend Aun Rehman, after he had came back to Pakistan after completing his MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was inspired and charged with a dream to transform Pakistan’s education system. Imran wanted to bring about change by adding new dimensions like critical thinking, empathy, creativity and self-confidence to an outdated educational system that centers on imparting information and rote learning. I helped him in broadening the vision from economically deprived schools to established middle class schools as I could see a clear need across the board for critical thinking. My role was to help him come up with strategy and vision.
Rabtt’s Story
Imran Sarwar is a public policy graduate from Harvard University who wants to transform Pakistan’s education sector. After a summer interaction with students of underprivileged schools, he decided that he wanted to teach children in a style that would be challenging and engaging and would allow them to develop critical thinking skills, empathy, problem solving and leadership.
Imran and his colleague Aneeq Ahmed Cheema laid the foundation of Rabtt in 2011. Through this platform, volunteers and mentors interact with students from Lahore’s schools. Rabtt works to make the educational experience more holistic for students of both government and private schools.
In a short span of time, Rabtt’s programs have mentored more than 2,500 students in 20 schools in Lahore and Karachi and trained 300 teachers in Punjab. Motivated by the success of the idea, Imran plans to take Rabtt’s programs to other cities in Pakistan.
Read how Rabtt developed from a summer long engagement to a program that serves underprivileged schools and motivates college students to engage in Entrepreneuring Pakistan
