PM Orders Timely Completion and Expansion of Daanish Schools
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to complete all Daanish Schools currently under construction within their approved timelines, warning that delays will not be accepted. He issued the directive on Wednesday while chairing the first meeting of the Daanish Authority Board in Islamabad, where members reviewed the programme's expansion across Pakistan.
The prime minister said the initiative was intended to provide high-quality education and development opportunities to children from economically disadvantaged families. He told the board that merit-based admission must remain central to the system so that students with academic potential are not denied access because of their financial circumstances or place of residence.
Shehbaz directed the authority to provide full residential facilities for both boys and girls at all new and under-construction campuses. The boarding requirement is designed to make the institutions accessible to students living far from established educational centres, particularly those from rural, mountainous and underserved communities.
The meeting also focused on modernising the schools' curriculum. The prime minister instructed the authority to work with the Ministry of Information Technology to make artificial intelligence, robotics, information technology and other emerging disciplines compulsory components of education at Daanish Schools. Project-based and practical learning will also be incorporated alongside conventional classroom instruction.
Officials informed the board that 29 Daanish Schools had been proposed across the country. Fifteen projects have received approval, construction is progressing on 13 campuses and classes have already begun at the Daanish School in Kuri, Islamabad. The figures indicate that the programme is moving from a limited provincial model towards a broader national network.
According to the briefing, campuses being developed in Bagh and Bhimber in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Ghanche, Sultanabad and Astore in Gilgit-Baltistan, are scheduled for completion by December 2026. Academic sessions at those institutions are expected to begin in April 2027 after buildings, teaching staff, boarding arrangements and administrative systems are prepared.
The board approved the establishment of an international-standard teachers' training institute to strengthen the skills of Daanish School faculty. The proposed centre is expected to train educators in modern teaching methods and could eventually serve as a model for other teacher-development institutions operating across the country.
Members also granted in-principle approval to the Daanish School Authority Rules, regulations governing the managing director and other administrative provisions. Shehbaz instructed officials to maintain a lean organisational structure and minimise administrative spending so that the largest possible share of resources is directed towards students, teachers and school facilities.
The board further approved transferring land allotted for Daanish Schools into the authority's ownership, a step intended to clarify institutional control and facilitate construction. The programme could significantly widen educational access if authorities meet announced deadlines, recruit qualified teachers and maintain consistent academic standards across campuses in different regions.
Implementation will now depend on completing the remaining regulatory process, monitoring construction and preparing the new schools for their scheduled openings. The government will also need to ensure that technology-focused courses, residential services and teacher training are introduced uniformly so that students receive comparable opportunities regardless of which campus they attend.