Every child in Pakistan deserves access to quality education, regardless of their background or where they come from. According to Geo News, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised this imperative while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Daanish School Kuri, stating that the nation cannot reach its true destination without ensuring equal opportunities in education and health.

According to Geo News, the prime minister reflected on the sacrifices made during the 1947 migration, noting that millions left everything behind with the hope of building a nation grounded in justice, fair play, and merit. He stated that after eighty years, the country must take a pause for honest self-introspection regarding the dreams of 1947, questioning whether the current reality aligns with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Geo News reported that the prime minister contrasted the educational opportunities available to the elite—who can send their children to prestigious domestic institutions or abroad to North America and South France—with the plight of bright children from impoverished families across Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. He noted that children from backward areas could never dream of attending elite institutions like Aitchison College. To bridge this gap, he mentioned that he first established the Daanish Schools network in 2010 to uplift underprivileged youth, and added that the Punjab Endowment Fund has now been transformed into the Pakistan Endowment Fund to help realize Quaid-i-Azam's vision.

Background

The inauguration event was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, diplomats, relevant authorities, teachers, and students, as reported by Geo News. During his address, the prime minister shared examples of resilient students, including a special child from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a girl from a backward area of Punjab who graduated from a Daanish School and became a doctor.

Why it matters

For ordinary citizens and families across Pakistan, the disparity in the education system touches daily life and the future of the younger generation. The discourse highlights the ongoing struggle to provide children from regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and rural Punjab with the same high-standard learning environments that are readily accessible to the country's most affluent classes.