PESHAWAR: Launching a nationwide enrollment drive to bring millions of out-of-school children into classrooms, Alkhidmat Foundation on Friday formally inaugurated a new building for its school in Charsadda.
The new building of Alkhidmat Foundation School Sarki, Charsadda, was formally inaugurated by President Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan, Prof Dr Hafeezur Rehman, who was the chief guest at the ceremony.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Amir Jamaat-e-Islami KP (Central) Abdul Wasi, President AlKhidmat Foundation, Khalid Waqas, JI Charsadda President, Shah Hussain Advocate, President District Bar Association Charsadda, Mujeebur Rehman Advocate, District President AKF Charsadda Qari Shafiullah and others.
Spread over eight kanals of land, the school building has been completed at a cost of Rs 80 million. Speaking at the event, Dr Hafeez announced the launch of a countrywide enrollment campaign under the slogan “Ek Bacha Taleem se Door: Har Bahana Na Manzoor” (No excuse to be accepted for keeping a single boy away from education).
The initiative is aimed at raising public awareness, work with the government and partner welfare organizations and encourage school-age children currently working in workshops, markets and on the streets to return to schools.
He said millions of children across the country remained out of school because of poverty and other social pressures, forcing many to contribute to household incomes instead of attending schools.
Abdul Wasi said that more than 26 million children across the country were out-of-school. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone the number of out of school children was around five million, he said.
“The figures are alarming. It was the responsibility of the government to take care of the situation. However, Alkhidmat Foundation was playing the role on its part to create awareness among the masses and take good care of the out of school children especially the underprivileged ones,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Khalid Waqas said that having own building for the Alkhidmat Foundation in Sarki, Charsadda was a milestone achievement. He said that the school had already an enrollment of 900 students despite lacking a dedicated purpose-built building. He said that the foundation has been operating 26 schools across the province where more than 10,000 students, including 800 orphaned children, were receiving free education.
