PM Orders Faster Danish Schools Rollout Across Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting in Islamabad on the progress of Danish Schools and Danish University, directing authorities to accelerate work on the education projects being developed across Pakistan.

During the meeting, the prime minister announced that a technology campus of Danish University would be established in Muzaffarabad. He described the wider Danish education network as a long-term national investment aimed at expanding quality learning opportunities for talented students, particularly those from underdeveloped areas.

The premier instructed the relevant departments to ensure faster completion of Danish Schools in all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad. He also directed officials to ensure that the architectural design of each school reflects the cultural character and heritage of the region where it is being built.

According to the official briefing, 27 Danish Schools are currently under construction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the federal capital. Officials also briefed the meeting on the development of Danish University in Islamabad, which is planned as a higher education institution with nationwide student access.

The meeting was attended by senior cabinet members, including Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, along with senior officials from relevant departments. The prime minister used the forum to stress that recruitment of teaching faculty and administrative staff must be carried out strictly on merit.

Shehbaz Sharif also appreciated the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training for the pace of construction work on Danish Schools. His remarks indicated that the government wants the projects to be treated as priority social-sector initiatives rather than routine infrastructure schemes.

Officials informed the prime minister that the Danish School in Kurri, Islamabad, has already been completed and has started academic activities. They said schools in Bagh, Bhimber, Sultanabad, Ghanche and Astore are in their final stages, with academic sessions expected to begin in April 2027.

The briefing also covered progress on Danish University, where the recruitment process for teaching faculty has started. The university is expected to begin academic operations in 2027 and will admit students from across the country on merit, with special focus on youth from disadvantaged and remote regions.

The Danish School model has long been presented by the government as a pathway for high-performing students from low-income backgrounds to access better educational facilities. Expanding the network at the national level could become politically and socially significant if it improves access to quality schooling beyond major urban centres.

For Pakistan, the initiative comes at a time when education inequality remains one of the country’s most serious development challenges. Millions of children still face barriers linked to poverty, distance, school quality and limited access to modern learning facilities, making the success of such projects important for social mobility.

The next phase will depend on whether the government can complete construction on schedule, recruit qualified teachers transparently and ensure that admissions remain truly merit-based. If implemented effectively, the Danish Schools and Danish University network could become a major education platform for students from regions that have historically lacked access to high-quality public institutions.