Fun fair: Instilling communal values in a fun way

Khuldunia High School promotes the virtues of cooperation and charity at its annual fair.

ISLAMABAD:

Khuldunia High School hosted its first ever public Rainbow Festival on Saturday. The school hosts an annual funfair every year at its premises. This year, however, they branched out and became public at the Potohar Arts and Culture Complex, adjacent to the Pak-China Friendship Centre.

Amidst the chatter, food and music, the school promoted values of cooperation and charity. With complusory student participation at stalls and in activities, the school’s owners and directors Hajra Ahmed and Farrukh Pracha made it a point to instill within their students the importance of community service and collaboration between friends.

“Even though community service is not part of our curriculum, we make sure that our students understand its importance,” said Ahmed, adding, “our students stand out wherever they go and that is the greatest pride that we have in our product.” Among the jumping castle, hair art and tea stalls, the school ensured that the students do not lose sight of the academic perspective at the event. The directors invited representatives of The Asia Foundation (TAF) and Aurat Foundation to set up stalls on the site. The presence of TAF, which has donated books and services to schools and other programmes based on women’s liberation, made the afternoon worthwhile for a large number of children and their parents.

According to Muqaaddisa Mehreen, a student’s mother who works for the United Nations Children’s Fund, “the most important thing the school has done is create a non-elitist environment that is healthy for a child to grow up in.” With the funds from the fair being donated to various charitable organisations, Khuldunia feels that it is time it come out into the lime light. “Our product is excellent now and this funfair is our way of coming out onto the map of Islamabad,” said Pracha.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2011.