August 22, 2020: CODE PAKISTAN conducted a needs assessment session at Jamia Islamia, Batkhela, to assess the educational and vocational training needs of the students of Jamia Islamia. The administration of Jamia Islamia welcomed the initiative of CODE PAKISTAN and assured their support in case CODE PAKISTAN would want to provide any educational and vocational trainings to their students. The administrator of Jamia Islamia, Maulana Imran Hilali, shared with CODE PAKISTAN, however, that owing to the closure of the Jamia because of the COVID-19 pandemic for a long period of time, the religious education calendar of the students of Jamia Islamia was running behind schedule. Therefore, they requested CODE PAKISTAN that any planned trainings are conducted in a way that their annual teaching calendar is not disturbed. The students of Jamia Islamia actively participated in the session and asked several questions from the visiting team of CODE PAKISTAN. The visiting CODE PAKISTAN team answered the questions raised by the students of the madrassah.
Jamia Islamia is a centrally located madrassah located in the main bazaar of the town of Batkhela. The mosque affiliated with the madrassah is frequented by the traders of the town and the madrassah enjoys considerable respect among the business community of the town. Batkhela is an important trading hub for the whole of Malakand Divison. The trade of Malakand Division with the rest of the country transits through Batkehla and, therefore, the town bears considerable economic significance for the whole of Malakand Division. The trading community of Batkhela Bazaar is, therefore, an important community among the populations of the whole of Malakand Division. The administrator of the madrassah Maulana Imran Hilali is an office-bearer of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) in the district.
CODE PAKISTAN would like to thank the administrator of Jamia Islamia, Maulana Imran Hilali, for his warm welcome to the visiting team of CODE PAKISTAN and his commitment to the cause of the welfare of the madrassah students in general and the students of Jamia Islamia in particular.