As Faisalabad’s industrial firms begin the process of generational transition in their ownership, the younger generation of factor-owners appear to have taken up a cause that goes beyond just increasing their bottom lines: improving the quality and access to education in their neighbourhoods.
They have begun by taking on the responsibility of adopting and improving public schools with many of the vast resources that they collectively have at their disposal. This includes renovating buildings, providing books, establishing computer and science laboratories, hiring private staff, providing uniforms and other accessories to improve education standards in at least 60 public sector schools.
To pool their resources together, these young millionaires have created the Faisalabad Development Trust, the brain-child of Umer Nazer Shah, the heir to Hasan Spinning Ltd, a large textile factory in Faisalabad.
“The purpose of adopting schools is to improve the quality of life of children in rural areas,” said Shah, in an interview with The Express Tribune. “This is the moral duty of every industrialist and businessman. If each of us provide education in the vicinity of our mills, illiteracy would be insignificant.”
Part of the motivation for this initiative seems to be to help people raise their income levels in the surrounding areas. One of the projects currently being undertaken by the trust is the “Educational Training Institution” in the rural areas. The purpose is to train women in those areas to become teachers so that they can supplement their family’s incomes.
The trust spend an average of about Rs2,100 per student, claimed Shah. “We have to motivate people to educate their children and help those who cannot afford to.” The trust seems focused on bridging the achievement gap between students who go to public and private schools.
Schools that are run by the government are not in good condition and having no competent staff,” said Muhammad Saeed, a manager at Rasheed Textile, a company that is also involved with the trust.
“If we use private schools as models and invest in our public schools to modernise them, then the situation can change in less than a decade,” said Rana Zahid Tauseef, CEO of Rana Textiles, another member firm of the trust.
It is not immediately clear just how many students are benefiting from the Faisalabad Development Trust’s activities. But Shah makes it clear that the project is a long-term commitment that he views in moral terms.
“People are spending billion of rupees to promote their businesses. Spreading education in rural areas costs only a few million,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2011.
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Good Initiative. Businessmen of Sialkot have also done a lot to improve their metropolitan standard by helping themselves. It is a very good step to improve quality standard of Public schools. I hope businessmen in other parts of country replicate this effort in their own areas.
Why don't the textile mill owners go further and actually pay their taxes- that will also be a good start....... then afterwards they can indulge in their philanthropy.
I know a number of mill owners and altrusim is the last thing on their mind.....
Thank you.
Finally the textile people want to give back, better late then never
Nice to know that something is being done to tackle illiteracy. Our governments are next to useless in raising education standards so the task has now fallen to a few individuals. I hope they are well rewarded for their efforts.