Hello, my friends! Assalam-o-Alaikum! How are you all today? It is Maryam here.
Last week, the electricity went out during my nephew’s online class, and he sat staring at a blank screen for two hours. That is our middle-class story in this garmi. But imagine a child whose father picks cotton under the burning Multan sun — for him, even a small private school fee is a faraway dream. Not anymore.
A brand-new Daanish School has just opened in the Kuri area of Islamabad, where poor but bright children will study, eat, and sleep — all completely free. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated it himself, and the stories shared on that stage moved everyone to tears. Let me tell you everything.
Daanish School Islamabad: What Was Announced
On October 18, the prime minister formally inaugurated the Daanish School in Islamabad. The government has built the school on 30 acres of land. It is a big, modern campus with clean buildings, green lawns and new classrooms.
Classes have already started for students in grades six, seven and eight. The school has admitted a total of 360 talented boys and girls from different areas purely on merit. There are 120 students in each grade. The school has also recruited 38 teachers, and more teachers will join as the school grows.
Children at Daanish Schools get free boarding, modern science laboratories and smart classrooms. So the children do not only study for free. They also live, eat and learn in a safe and caring place. For many poor families, this is nothing less than a dream come true.
Free Education for Poor but Bright Children
Speaking at the ceremony, the prime minister said that money should never stop a talented child. He said Pakistan has millions of intelligent and hardworking children. But many of them cannot get good education because their parents cannot pay the fees of big private schools.
He talked about poor parents who work in fields and factories in very hard weather. They earn little money, yet they want the best for their children. The Daanish School is made for such families. Its goal is to give children from low-income homes the same quality of education that rich children get at elite schools like Aitchison College. In fact, the prime minister said the aim is to match and even beat those schools.
The programme runs under the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund. Now the government plans to expand the Daanish Schools network across the whole country. Around 27 more schools are at different stages of construction in various regions. New campuses will also come up in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan and remote parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
If you care about education costs for your family, you may also like my earlier story on how medical college fees in Punjab rose to Rs 50,000 a year, which every student and parent should read.
An Emotional Day at the Daanish School Islamabad Ceremony
The inauguration was a very emotional event. Students shared their life stories on the stage. Many of them had faced great hardships before joining the school. Hearing their words moved the prime minister and many guests to tears.
One touching moment came when Dr Alina shared her journey. She had studied at a Daanish School and later reached King Edward Medical University. After her father passed away, the school became her second home. It gave her love, care and support like a family. Because of that support, she could follow her dream of becoming a doctor.
The prime minister also told the story of a student from Balochistan. When the boy first arrived at a Daanish School in Dera Ghazi Khan, he was worried about how people would treat him. But the school welcomed him with so much love that he felt at home at once. The prime minister said this is the true Pakistan, where children from Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are all equal and united.
He said, “Today, I stand before you not as the prime minister but as a genuine servant.” His message was simple. Every child in Pakistan must have equal opportunities, whether the child comes from a rich family or a poor one.
Why This Story Matters
Education is the biggest gift a country can give its children. When a poor child gets a good school, the whole family rises. And when many such children rise, the whole country rises. That is why this new school is such good news.
According to the Islamabad Tribune, the prime minister reaffirmed his commitment to quality education for talented children from poor families at the inauguration (Islamabad Tribune). Pakistan TV also reported his message that every child must have equal opportunities, rich or poor (Pakistan TV).
Stories like this make me proud to write for Pak Unfiltered. Good news should be shared with everyone.
Take care, my dear friends! If you have any question, you can always reach us through our Contact Us page. And tell me, do you know a talented child who could benefit from a school like this?
