Daily Times

Touched by the plight of Pakistan’s public schools and students in rural areas, Mr. Ali, a philanthropist based in Dubai, has extended his support to under-served schools to improve the quality of education so that the students can become productive citizens.

According to Pakistan’s education statistics report 2016, there 303,446 schools– of which 191,065 are public and 112,381 private. The total enrolment is 47.5 million – out of which 27.7 million is for public and 19.8 million is for private, but there is a shortage of quality teachers in Pakistan — around 29% of schools in across Pakistan only have one teacher which portrays an alarming state of affairs of the country’s education disparity.

On a broader level, the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for al. The Article 25-A of Pakistan’s Constitution also stipulates free and compulsory education to all children aged 5-16 years old as a fundamental right. However, the current state of education indicates that the system is largely inequitable and fails to deliver the kind of education which enables all children in Pakistan to reach their full potential and contribute to the society as well as the economy. Pakistan is world’s top-talented nations for the ICT and financial industries.

The Elixir Group’s Ali Rao sees the disparity in Pakistan’s education system and has joined hands with Teach For Pakistan to expand educational opportunities for underprivileged students. Under an agreement, Elixir Group will enable the recruitment and development of 10 exceptional future education leaders, and the provision of a quality education for 500 students in under-served public schools across Islamabad’s rural suburbs, starting with Tarnol, Nilore, Bara Kahu and Sihala areas.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Ali Rao said, “I am excited to partner with Teach For Pakistan and enable its growth because this is not just an organization but a movement towards building an equitable education system which leads to building future generations. I believe that every child in Pakistan deserves the quality education that some of us are blessed to be able to afford for our own children. Through this Fellowship, we are bringing our best talent to work on the most important problem of inequitable education we are facing as a nation. These young individuals will continue to play a leadership role in building a better and equitable system wherever they serve in and outside of Pakistan. This is the kind of innovation and positive disruption that the Elixir Group is proud to support.”

Teach For Pakistan is a partner in the Teach For All Global Network and working with the Federal Directorate of Education and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to end educational inequity in Pakistan. Teach For Pakistan recruits outstanding university graduates and young professionals to a two-year paid Fellowship to teach full-time in under-served communities, transforming student outcomes and gaining critical skills and knowledge about the education system.

Currently, 75 Fellows from Pakistan’s top-ranked universities, including the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Quad-i-Azam University (QAU), Institute of Business Administration (IBA), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) and Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI), are placed in 32 public schools to teach over 3,800 students in the rural sectors of Islamabad. The program has 117 Alumni who are using the leadership skills they developed through the Fellowship to work effectively towards education reform across various fields.

Elixir Group is a diverse holding company with expertise spanning across technology, real estate, marketing and financial services. Elixir’s CEO Mr. Ali Rao has also assumed the role of Distinguished Advisor to the Teach For Pakistan Board, extending his personal support to the movement in the growth phase.