Beacon of hope: The Peshawar School for Peace inaugurated

Its first branch will be opened in Gulbahar.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar School for Peace (TPSP) was inaugurated at Peshawar Services Club on Saturday.

The initiative has been designed to resolve educational issues faced by the province. It is a joint venture of Peshawar Youth Organization, Young Pakistan Association of Australia, Pakistani Consul-General for Sydney and Raising Hope Education Foundation.

The first branch of the TPSP will be opened in Gulbahar.

At the inauguration,  Minister for Education Muhammad Atif – who addressed the gathering via video link – pledged support for the initiative and guaranteed them assistance to raise the standard of education in the province.

“Education is key for development,” Atif said. “If we want to get rid of militancy and fundamentalism, we have to improve the quality of education at schools and colleges,” he added.

According to Atif, the education sector in the province is marred with problems and inconsistencies. Poor infrastructure and absence of facilities at schools are an obstacle to promoting education.

“We are spending 28% of this year’s provincial budget on the sector. We are also trying to set up new schools with the aim to promote gender parity,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, ANP’s former education minister, Sardar Hussain Babak, said the province’s infrastructure has already been weakened by militant attacks. “K-P has also been burdened by the influx of internally displaced persons (IDP) and that has diverted the government’s attention from raising the standard of education,” added Babak.



At this crucial stage, the private sector should be encouraged to improve educational standards in the country, said the former minister. He urged privileged sections of society to come forward and contribute to improving the sector.

Leading businessmen, educationists, social activists and philanthropists attended the inauguration ceremony and made donations to the TPSP.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2014.