Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the lack of financial resources is the biggest obstacle preventing millions of talented children from expressing their abilities and moving forward. The establishment of Daanish Schools is part of a vision to provide equal opportunities for quality education to poor and deserving children.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a Daanish School in the Kuri area, he emphasized the critical need to provide equal opportunities in the education and health sectors to fulfill the true vision of Pakistan's founder, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He asserted that Pakistan cannot reach its true destination without ensuring accessible, high-quality opportunities for all citizens across every field, stressing that every child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Gilgit-Baltistan must be equipped with a quality education.
The prime minister emphasized that every child - from Karachi to Peshawar, regardless of socioeconomic background - deserves equal access to quality education. Contrasting the opportunities available to the elite, who can easily afford prestigious domestic or international institutions, the prime minister highlighted the plight of exceptionally bright children from impoverished families across Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
He noted that these children could never dream of attending elite institutions like Aitchison College, let alone receiving a decent standard of education. To bridge this massive gap, he shared that he first established the Daanish Schools network back in 2010, driven by the mission to uplift underprivileged youth and provide them with world-class educational opportunities.
He stated that the Punjab Endowment Fund has now been transformed into the Pakistan Endowment Fund, realizing Quaid-i-Azam's vision that all children from the length and breadth of the country should receive equal opportunities in education and health. The event was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, diplomats, relevant authorities, teachers, and students.
The PM stressed that through the Daanish Schools system, they have the opportunity to provide the gift of better schools, comparable to those in the West. He expressed hope that graduates from Daanish Schools would not only transform their own lives but, through their ingenuity, hard work, and untiring efforts, transform the landscape of Pakistan into one of the most progressive countries in the community of nations.
Earlier, the prime minister visited different sections of the school and interacted with students and staff members. Minister for Federal Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, in his remarks, termed it a historic day for the education sector, reflecting a new vision for imparting education to the country's new generations.
He said the journey of Daanish would pave a significant way for the country's progress and prosperity. PM's Youth Programme head Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan appreciated the prime minister for his public services during his tenure as Punjab Chief Minister.
According to the briefing, more than 40,000 students are currently receiving education in these schools, while 28 Daanish Schools are under construction across the country, including 9 in Balochistan, 6 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3 in Sindh, 5 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 4 in Gilgit-Baltistan.