Ceremony held to celebrate Rs50m donation

Boarding school likely to open next August, around 800 students expected to enrol.

KARACHI: A large group of donors gathered at Hub, Balochistan, on Sunday for a ceremony organised by The Hub School.

A plaque was unveiled by Pakistan Petroleum Limited’s (PPL) chairperson Hidayatullah Pirzada at the school’s academic block to celebrate the company’s 50-million-rupee donation. Several parents of prospective students and other potential donors had gathered at the ceremony, which was held to attract more donations and inform people about the facilities being offered at the institute.

“I am sure it [our donation] will make a healthy contribution for the uplift of the education standards in Pakistan,” said Pirzada.

PPL managing director Khalid Rehman said that donating for this school is an achievement for the company as well. PPL chose this school because of its proximity to Balochistan and the school must place emphasis on attracting students from that province, he said.

This not-for-profit school for boys, run by the Ahmed EH Jaffer Foundation, is situated on the border of Sindh and Balochistan. Spread over 240 acres in Hub, the school building occupies over 70 acres. Around 800 students, of classes VII and above, are expected to enrol.

Hub School chairperson Abdul Kader Jaffer said that service to education is the legacy of the Jaffer family. Abdul Kader’s great-grandfather started a school in Pune, India, in 1907 while his grandfather organised the Muslim Educational Conference in 1920. His father introduced educational reforms in 1940 and his aunt started the Happy Home School in Pakistan. The school was scheduled to start in August this year but the launch has been delayed for a year. Classes will now start in 2011 with around 270 boys. Initially, the school will offer a 50 per cent scholarship to 50 per cent of the students. Abdul Kader hoped that the school will attract students from across Pakistan and neighbouring countries as well.

The Hub School will provide the highest standards of all-rounded education and will prepare boys for a life of leadership, service and personal fulfilment, said Abdul Kader. Their education will stimulate natural curiosity and foster creativity through discovery and analysis, he added.

Students of ages 16 and above will be prepared for the Cambridge International Examination while those of ages 18 and above will be prepared for the International Baccalaureate. This will give the students a competitive edge to gain entry in to the best universities of the world, hoped Abdul Kader.

Highly qualified and experienced local, as well as foreign, teachers will be hired and given accommodation on campus so as to avoid disruption of education due to adverse political conditions in the country, he added.

The foundation aims to provide purpose-built facilities at The Hub School dormitories, which will include spacious common rooms, TV and games area. Professional cooks and servers will look after the canteen and dining hall. Students will also have a chance to take part in extra-curricular activities, such as swimming, horse riding, hockey, cricket and table tennis.

Since the building is halfway complete, Abdul Kader showed the interiors to donors, dignitaries from government, business and media, and parents.

In the future, the foundation aims to establish a boarding school for girls, as well as a university of national importance.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2010.