Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the importance of providing equal educational opportunities to children from economically disadvantaged families, marking it as a top government priority. He made these remarks while chairing the inaugural meeting of the Daanish Authority Board in Islamabad.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister stated that the establishment of Daanish Schools is rooted in the principle of offering merit-based admission and quality education to deserving students from underprivileged backgrounds. He directed the authorities to ensure the timely completion of all under-construction Daanish Schools, with a mandate for 100 percent boarding facilities at new and ongoing campuses.

Sharif also instructed the integration of information technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other emerging technologies into the Daanish Schools curriculum in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology. Additionally, he called for the inclusion of project-based, skill-based, and personality development courses in the curriculum.

The meeting revealed proposals for 29 Daanish Schools across the country, with 15 receiving approval and construction underway on 13. Classes have already begun at the Daanish School in Kuri, Islamabad. The construction of schools in Bagh and Bhimber in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Ghanche, Sultanabad, and Astore in Gilgit-Baltistan, is expected to be completed by December, with classes commencing in April next year.

The Board approved the establishment of an international-standard Teachers Training Institute for Daanish Schools, which will serve as a model for teacher training nationwide. It also granted in-principle approval to the Daanish Schools Authority Rules and endorsed the transfer of all land allocated for Daanish Schools to the Daanish Schools Authority.

The Prime Minister further directed that the administrative structure of the Authority should remain lean and cost-effective.