City Desk
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need to provide equal opportunities in education and healthcare to realise the vision of Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Daanish School Kuri, the prime minister said every child, regardless of socioeconomic background or geographical location, deserved access to quality education. Reflecting on the sacrifices made during Partition in 1947, he questioned whether Pakistan had fulfilled the founding vision of justice, merit and equality.
He highlighted disparities between privileged children attending elite institutions and talented students from disadvantaged families who struggle to access quality education. He said the Daanish Schools initiative was launched in 2010 to provide underprivileged children with educational opportunities comparable to those available at leading institutions.
Shehbaz Sharif said the Punjab Endowment Fund had evolved into the Pakistan Endowment Fund to extend educational and healthcare opportunities nationwide. He expressed hope that Daanish School graduates would contribute to Pakistan’s development through hard work and dedication.
According to the briefing, more than 40,000 students are studying at Daanish Schools, while 28 schools are under construction across the country. These include nine in Balochistan, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three in Sindh, five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and four in Gilgit-Baltistan. The first Daanish University of Science and Technology in Islamabad is also nearing completion.
Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui termed the occasion historic, while Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan praised the prime minister’s efforts to support disadvantaged families. Students and graduates shared their experiences and thanked the government for helping them pursue their educational ambitions.
Earlier, the prime minister visited different sections of the school and interacted with students and staff.
