DELTA is considered to be one of the best institutions of Balochistan which competes with other high-level. The journey of DELTA began in 2001, when Barkat Ismail Baloch opened a small institution in Turbat. The name of the institution was given DELTA – The Change Agent an English private centre in evening time. The main purpose of DELTA was to create an educational environment in not just Turbat but in the entire province. In those day, Balochis were the most unaware and oblivious people there were.
They were not aware about the importance of English nor the importance of education. Still Barkat Ismail Baloch believed that the people will join the institution which would in turn, bring about a change. Barkat’s effort in launching an English institution in Turbat was lauded.
In 2001, Balochistan was known to be the most backward province as compared to other provinces. Along with a few other teachers, Barkat began convincing people to enrol themselves in the institute. Slowly, the Baloch students started joining. Parents realised that making their children work in fields would not lead them towards prosperity. Barkat even took poor parents’ children to study there free-of-cost. Barkat was cooperative and he did not demand money. All he wanted was children to be educated and discover themselves.
Post the successful launching of DELTA and its ensuing difference in the field of education, Barkat established a school in 2004 with the same name. It was a private morning school run by Barkat’s brother Murad, who was given the responsibility to impart education. The syllabus was based in English because English was the only source to develop. The journey of DELTA institution continued. DELTA became the only school that encouraged merit and soon enough, its students passed their matriculation examinations with distinctions. This achievement was praised in the entire Balochistan because none of the other institutions had been successful in doing so.
The most significant change that the institution brought about was promoting girls’ education. Before the institution had arrived, the concept of girls attaining education was none.
DELTA knew the importance of girl’s education, and Baloch girls were motivated to gain knowledge. The institution allowed girls to gain prominence, compete with other province’s girls which show that DELTA changed their dark lives into brighter ones. So, it is safe to say that institution’s contributions in providing quality education were immense.
It gave the youth of Balochistan a chance to be progressive. Today, some of the alumni have settled in foreign countries with high paying jobs. Today, the institution is growing and generating useful and progressive individuals.
Most of these students are now writing for national and international newspapers.
I belong to a small village in a rural area of Balochistan where one of DELTA’s branch opened in 2010. Mine was a small village where people were totally deprived of even basic education. When the branch opened, people wondered how a single institution could transform their backward lives. They doubted the credibility of the college.
However, everyone was proven wrong as DELTA kept running and providing education to children. Its branched kept expanding. Following suit, many other institutions also began launching.
In the last 15 years, DELTA has brought some drastic changes to Balochistan which were required and which Barkat was aiming for. It has been rightfully named The Change Agent. I appreciate and am very grateful to Barkat for opening such an institution for Balochistan.
The writer is a student at Turbat University and can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, March 5th 2019.