Pak-Turk initiative: Work starts on five-storey school building in H-8

An international university to be set up in Islamabad.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the H-8/1 Girls and Primary School Campus of Pak Turk International Schools & Colleges was held here on Friday, said a press release issued by the school.

The plot for the school’s campus was purchased by a group of Pakistani philanthropists from Islamabad, in support of the Pak Turk International Cag Educational Foundation’s (ICEF) educational initiatives.

Spanning 11,638 square metres, the five-storey building will be constructed at a cost of Rs155 million and will be completed in 18 months. Turkish philanthropists will provide educational material and furniture.

Wheels set in motion for a university

Turkish MNA Mr Ahmet Oksuzkaya, who was on his third visit to Pakistan, encouraged Pak-Turk ICEF executives as well as the Pakistani philanthropists to “crown this educational initiative with a Pak-Turk university”.

(Read: Vacant school plots)

The Managing Director of Hakas Group reinforced this idea, announcing to donate a 506,000 sq metres plot in Islamabad for a university.

Turkish MNA Omer Faruk expressed his pleasure at Pakistan being amongst “the friendliest nations toward the Turks” and conferred a bronze medal and cheque to Muhammad Umer, a 2011 PhD graduate. The MNA asked the young and old to draw inspiration from the reverend scholar Muhammad Iqbal for social and human development.

The Turkish Ambassador, Mustafa Babur Hizlan, hoped the new school will serve as a role model for all educational institutes. Deputy Chairman of the Senate Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali and the chief guest on the occasion drew similarities between Pakistan and Turkey. He praised ICEF’s efforts and recommended them to build more schools in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan.

PakTurk International Schools & Colleges are being run under the auspices of the Pak Turk ICEF, an international Turkish non-governmental educational organisation. The schools, that have classes from pre-school to class 12 (inclusive of SSC, HSSC, O and A Level streams), have 18 branches in Islamabad, Karachi, Khairpur Mirs, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta.

Founded in 1995 with the dictum “Two Countries, One Nation”, Pak Turk educational institutions are currently educating more than 5,200 students across Pakistan.

The event was attended by Pakistani and Turkish state officials, parliamentarians, business community, educationists, philanthropists, and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2011.