Danish School students’ success an example for others, says PM Shehbaz at Islamabad school opening

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the achievements of Danish Schools students are an example for others. He said these achievements prove that children from deprived classes can also move forward when they are given opportunities.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Danish School Islamabad, he said quality education and equal opportunities must be provided. He said the biggest obstacle to the progress of millions of intelligent and talented young people in Pakistan is a lack of financial resources. No talented child should be denied quality education because of financial hardship, he said.

The prime minister said he was standing before the audience today not as the Prime Minister of Pakistan but as a true servant of the people. Documentaries on Danish Schools, the students’ remarks and the achievements of graduates had touched hearts, he said.

Children of poor families and equal opportunities

He described the struggle of a girl with special abilities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a shining example of hope and courage. He said she is the daughter of a hard-working, dignified father who valued knowledge but had no money for his daughter’s education.

Shehbaz Sharif said working parents earn an honest living in intense heat and cold, but cannot meet the cost of their children’s education and healthcare because of their limited income. He said Pakistani youth have exceptional intelligence and, through their intellect, hard work and tireless effort, can earn Pakistan a prominent place among the nations of the world.

The prime minister said that, because of financial difficulties, the children of the poor cannot even imagine studying at institutions such as Aitchison. An institution like the Danish School was founded in 2010 under this vision. He said children of poor families, like those of the elite, should get equal educational opportunities, and that quality education must be provided to millions of talented children in remote areas, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He expressed the resolve that Danish Schools should prove better than well-known institutions. Speaking of a bright girl from Bahawalpur, he said she had studied with determination, courage and passion, and is now serving humanity as a doctor.

The prime minister said the concept of Danish Schools was introduced to give children of deprived classes quality education and to enable them to serve suffering humanity. In the Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, justice, merit, hard work and equality must be of fundamental importance, he said, adding that a society based on justice, merit and equal opportunities is the foundation of the creation of Pakistan.

He said that, for a better and prosperous Pakistan, our forefathers migrated in 1947, and that we must ask ourselves how close we are to the destination of our elders’ dream.

Students from all regions, including Balochistan

The prime minister said a student from Balochistan had set an example of success by studying at a Danish School, and that his apprehensions disappeared in the school’s atmosphere of love, equality and belonging.

Students from Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are studying together in Danish Schools. He said Danish Schools have proved that the Pakistani nation is one, above distinctions of colour, race and province. Parents and teachers deserve praise for the students’ achievements.

Shehbaz Sharif said that in the Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam, every boy and girl from Karachi to Peshawar should have equal opportunities for education and progress. Whether she is a poor man’s daughter or a labourer’s son, an orphan or a student from a wealthy family, all should get the same opportunities to move ahead. Until that happens, the dream of Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan will remain incomplete, he said.

The prime minister cited a verse of Allama Iqbal: “Ek hi saf mein khare ho gaye Mahmood o Ayaz, na koi banda raha na koi banda nawaz” (Mahmood and Ayaz stood in the same row; neither remained servant nor master).

He praised the efforts of federal ministers, the Ministry of Education, the officials concerned and the administration in making the project a success. He also paid tribute to the team that provided resources and worked day and night.

Expanding network of Danish Schools

According to the prime minister, the Danish Schools project has spread from Punjab to the whole of Pakistan. Schools are under construction in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Students from North Waziristan, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan are studying in these schools.

He said the Danish Schools educational family will in future grow into a large national educational network, and modern IT and artificial intelligence laboratories will be set up in them. He wants to equip young people with modern sciences, artificial intelligence and modern technology and give them opportunities for success at the global level.

The prime minister said Pakistani youth should follow the principles of trust, hard work and honesty and prove their abilities around the world. The success of such children highlights the fact that talent and intelligence are not the inheritance of any particular class.

He described Danish Schools as a ray of hope for children who, given proper opportunities, can not only change their own lives but also play an important role in the progress of the country and the nation and in the service of humanity.

The prime minister expressed determination to eliminate every kind of terrorism from the country completely. He praised the successful operations of the security forces against the terrorists of the Indian-backed Fitna al-Hindustan.

Students, parents, teachers, federal ministers, diplomats and senior officials attended the ceremony. Danish School graduates Dr Naeem Asghar and Dr Aleena also narrated their stories at the ceremony. Naeem Asghar’s father was martyred in 2002 while defending the country.