The National Outreach Programme (NOP) Centre has steadfastly pursued its mission of promoting inclusive education and nurturing the holistic growth of students from diverse backgrounds. Our efforts encompassed a wide array of activities aimed at realising this vision. We conducted extensive outreach campaigns, targeting marginalised communities nationwide to encourage talented students to apply for the NOP Scholarship. Our rigorous selection process ensured that deserving candidates with exceptional academic potential and leadership qualities were identified. Through comprehensive Summer Coaching Sessions, participants were provided with invaluable opportunities for academic enrichment, mentorship, and personal development.
The NOP team continued to offer ongoing support services, including counselling, academic guidance, and assistance with internships and placements. Collaboration with educational institutions, government agencies, and NGOs expanded our programme's reach and impact. Through continuous monitoring and evaluation, we strived to refine our programmes and maximise their effectiveness. Engaging alumni, stakeholders, and the broader community further strengthened our commitment to fostering a supportive environment for NOP participants, epitomising our dedication to inclusivity and excellence.
ACTIVITIES
Summer Coaching Session
The Summer Coaching Session (SCS) 2023 achieved notable success, underscoring the following accomplishments:
- The NOP Team demonstrated outstanding reach, attracting a significant number of students from Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Interior Sindh. Overall, there was a 20% increase in NOP SCS applications compared to the previous year.
- Out of over 729 students invited, 97% hailed from regions outside of Lahore, with 12.6% representing minority groups, which is 10% more than in 2022.
- We introduced specialised modules in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, alongside offerings in Life Skills, Capacity Building, and Personality Assessment Sessions, reflecting our commitment to holistic development.
Diversity and Inclusion
The SCS showcased the diversity of Pakistan's geography and culture, with a total of 404 male and 244 female participants representing various cities, including Zhob, Waziristan, Tharparkar, Usta Muhammad, UmerKot, Mardan Bannu, Quetta, Kasur, Skardu, Hunza, Chitral, Malakand Division, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Rajanpur, DG Khan, and Bahawalpur.
OUTREACH
Through our rigorous outreach, this year we physically reached 82 cities, 219 institutions (schools and colleges), and collectively reached 24,770 students across Pakistan.
Expanding Outreach to New Regions
- Visited Garhi Habibullah for the first time and conducted NOP awareness sessions in 3 new institutes
- Re-established presence in the Swat region, holding 20 awareness sessions across 11 colleges
Strengthening Partnerships
- Visited 4 colleges under the Read Foundation in Dhirkot and Muzaffarabad
- Collaborated with various stakeholders, including Federal Government Educational Institutions Directorate in Peshawar and Mardan
Teacher and Student Counsellor Training
- Trained teachers and student counsellors across multiple regions on how to fill out the SCS application
- Initiated capacity-building sessions at Daanish Schools in various regions, including Mianwali and DG Khan
Career Counselling and Guidance
- Conducted sessions in Pakistan Scouts Cadet College Batrasi, focusing on non-traditional career paths
- Delivered career counselling sessions in various colleges to guide students about programmes offered at LUMS, with special focus on pre-medical students
Large-Scale Education Expos and Career Fests
- Edu-Clan 3.0 in Hyderabad and Tando Muhammad Khan: Attracted over 6,000 participants with a balanced male/female ratio (50% each)
- Pak-Turk Maarif International Schools and Colleges Education Fair in Lahore: Over 600 students participated, with 250+ visiting the NOP stall
Supporting Female Students
- Special sessions for girls in KPK, notably in Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur, encouraging them to pursue higher education
- Conducted late afternoon sessions at Aga Khan College to accommodate female students' schedules
Reaching Diverse Communities
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In Karachi, NOP partnered with several organisations for broader outreach:
- Hindu Seva - Jagrutri engaged Hindu communities
- Kiran Foundation facilitated outreach to the Liyari community
- Jaffria Disaster Cell (JDC) supported through social media, with over 250,000 people introduced to the NOP - Visited the AKHSS Karimabad campus and later extended to AKHSS Kharadar campus
Improving Inclusivity and Collaboration
- Collaborated with stakeholders to ensure a broader reach. At Islamia College Peshawar, the session was conducted in Urdu and Pashto to increase engagement
- Encouraged principals and college officials to support students in applying for NOP scholarships and LUMS programmes
COMMUNICATIONS
NOP's digital media campaign for 2024 was a success. Not only did the campaign attract support for the NOP SCS Online application, but it also played a key role in boosting awareness about NOP and LUMS, engaging a broader audience through a robust digital community. Here are some impressive statistics showcasing its achievements:
- NOP Communications launched NOP Podcasts, with the inaugural episode featuring Syed Babar Ali, which was well-received by faculty, students, staff, and external audiences. The podcast talks about the evolution and future of NOP through the lens of the founders of the programme.
- The campaign led to a significant surge in followers across our digital platforms, forming a vibrant NOP community that includes students, alumni, and stakeholders.
- NOP YouTube subscribers skyrocketed from 300 to 3,000 in just one week by leveraging student data.
- Social media content centred on LCAT Tips, Financial Aid information, and other valuable insights about the NOP.
- Instagram followers increased from 930 to an impressive 4,000.
Student Success Initiative
A JOINT-COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NOP CENTRE AND THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC ADVISING AND STUDENT SUCCESS (OSA)
The Student Success Initiative (SSI) is a collaboration that seeks to combine the expertise of the two offices for a shared objective: to plan, develop and implement programmes for diverse student populations including 350+ NOP scholars and increasingly other student populations e.g. financial aid students, vulnerable students highlighted by relevant departments etc. ensuring that all students can thrive at LUMS irrespective of their backgrounds or resources.
7 sources of data and input inform SSI programming, including best practice research, student KPIs, stakeholder input and post-programme participant surveys. The programming itself is delivered using 4 modalities and relies on 9 collaborations with various units across campus to leverage expertise from different sources.
SSI built on the philosophy of longstanding programmes of the Admissions Office and NOP Centre including pre-semester workshops for first-years and a dedicated NOP Student Counsellor and piloted many of its programmes with the same student population. After launching 3 new initiatives this academic year, inclusive of enhanced mechanisms of identifying, tracking and monitoring of vulnerable students through the Campus Case Manager. Hence, SSI is now administering 20+ programmes spanning 3 domains:
Academics/Holistic, Wellbeing/Community-building, and post-LUMS readiness targeting selected student populations.
The impact and outcomes of SSI efforts include engaging 98% of NOP students through 1,750+ engagements during 2023-24. Further, these various programmes incorporated 30+ alumni and 24+ students as implementation partners. SSI has also served as an experimental lab to identify ideas that could be scaled from the pilot populations to the entire LUMS community. Two programmes; the Argumentation and Logical Reasoning Centre and the Alumni Mentorship Programme have already been expanded to the entire campus and SSI hopes to scale at least 2 additional programmes in the next year. Finally, SSI also extended support beyond LUMS by making programme manuals and best practice memos publicly available for other universities through the LUMS Advising website.
Domains and Programmes Comprising 2023-24 SSI Programming
Academic and Holistic Domain
- NOP Pre-Semester Workshops: (longstanding) Training on university policies, academic skills, and peer learning to help students prepare for their time at LUMS before the campus-wide orientation week
- Peer Mentorship for First-Year Students: All first-year NOP students were paired with a junior or senior NOP student who regularly checks in on their well-being providing support where needed
- Writing Tutors: A dedicated tutor provided basic writing support through individual appointments and workshops
- Communication and Presentation Tutors: Provided support through individual office hours, weekly group sessions, and workshops
- Argumentation and Logical Reasoning Tutors: Provided support in using logical reasoning to develop concrete arguments through office hours and weekly group sessions
- Quant Tutoring Service: Support through office hours/group sessions for foundational Maths and quantitative skills
- Campus Case Manager: Provided pastoral care to students struggling in multiple wellbeing and academic domains
- Sophomore Success Planning: Encouraged sophomores to set academic and well-being goals with the NOP counsellor
- Learning Communities: Peer mentors facilitated study sessions where academic skills were instilled
- Faculty Lunches: Involved informal interactions among juniors and faculty over a sponsored meal
- Staff Panels and Discussions: Organised discussions with Advising units and the SSI team to improve student comfort level with staff and encourage engagement
- Online Skill Building: Students could enrol in various skill courses from a curated list to enhance their skills sets
Wellbeing and Community Building Domain
- NOP Counsellor: A designated counsellor is available to support NOP students with diverse concerns
- Student-initiated Programming: Students proposed programmes that could benefit themselves and their peers. Promising ideas were then provided with logistical support and funding. These included skill-building workshops, de-stressing game nights, etc.
- Peer-led Wellness Programme: SSI launched a wellness lab, where wellness ambassadors held office hours and group sessions to create a safe space for students to share wellbeing concerns. They also hosted wellness walks, breakfasts, and de-stressing events over the year.
- Financial Wellbeing Support: Extension of the wellness programme, provided support to financial concerns and basic budgeting and saving strategies for struggling students
- Peer Buddies: Provided support by helping matched students create and implement academic and wellbeing goals
Post-LUMS Career Readiness Domain
- Career Peer Tutors: Trained peer tutors supported career-readiness through office hours and workshops
- Alumni Panels: Alumni were welcomed back to campus to share their experiences with current students on topics relating to career readiness, graduate studies, etc. In some cases, they also conducted skill training.
- Community Mentorship Pilot: Selected junior students were matched with professional leaders to enhance their exposure to life beyond LUMS
- Skill-based Workshops: Included Microsoft Office, Canva, time management, freelancing, communication etc.
- Alumni Mentorship: Senior students are matched with alumni, based on their post-LUMS plans, for guidance on planning for careers or higher education