Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasized the need to ensure equal opportunities in education and healthcare across Pakistan, saying that access to quality services for all citizens is essential to fulfilling the vision of the country’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Daanish School Kuri in Islamabad on Sunday, the prime minister reflected on the sacrifices made during the 1947 migration and said the country was established with the hope of creating a society based on justice, merit and fair opportunities. He stressed that children from every region, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other underserved areas, should have access to quality education regardless of their families’ financial circumstances.
The prime minister highlighted the disparity between educational opportunities available to wealthy families and those accessible to talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He observed that affluent families could send their children to prestigious institutions in Pakistan and abroad, while many capable students from low-income households struggled to obtain even a reasonable standard of education. Referring to the difference between the country’s educational systems, he questioned whether the opportunities available to children today reflected the ideals envisioned at the time of Pakistan’s creation. He said that a child’s future should not be determined by family income or geographical location, adding that students from Karachi to Peshawar and from remote communities across the country deserved opportunities to develop their abilities and contribute to national progress.
Shehbaz Sharif recalled establishing the Daanish Schools network in 2010 to provide students from underprivileged backgrounds with access to quality education. He described the initiative as an effort to reduce educational inequality and give deserving children opportunities comparable to those available at leading institutions. The prime minister also referred to the transformation of the Punjab Endowment Fund into the Pakistan Endowment Fund, describing it as part of the broader effort to extend educational and healthcare opportunities to children across the country. He cited examples of students who had overcome financial hardship and personal challenges to continue their education, including graduates who had progressed to professional careers. According to the briefing at the event, more than 40,000 students were receiving education through Daanish Schools, while 28 additional schools were under construction in different parts of Pakistan.
The planned expansion includes nine schools in Balochistan, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, three in Sindh, five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and four in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the briefing. The first Daanish University of Science and Technology in Islamabad was also reported to be nearing completion. Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui described the inauguration as an important development for the education sector, while Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan highlighted initiatives supporting students from low-income families. The prime minister also visited different sections of the school and interacted with students and staff. The expansion of educational institutions and scholarship support is intended to help more deserving students pursue their ambitions. However, ensuring consistent teaching standards, adequate facilities and sustained funding will remain important to making equal educational access a reality for children throughout Pakistan.
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