CHITRAL: Canadian High Commissioner for Pakistan Wendy Gilmour inaugurated a new school building at the Aga Khan School, Shuist, a remote village 10 to 12-hour drive from Chitral town.
Ms. Gilmour was accompanied by CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan, Mr. Akhtar Iqbal, and the regional leadership of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan.
The guests were welcomed at the school by the students and teachers of Aga Khan School, Shuist, the Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan’s General Manager for Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral Brigadier (retd.) Khush Muhammad Khan and the regional leadership of Upper Chitral.
Ms. Gilmour inaugurated the recently constructed school building which has greatly improved the facilities and increased capacity at the Aga Khan School, Shuist.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the guests attended a brief presentation on AKES,P’s efforts in increasing access to education in the Chitral region. Representatives of the Ismaili Council, School Support Committee and Local Support Organisation were also present.
The president of the Local Council Yarkhun Lasht, Mr. Siyar Ahmad, and others thanked Ms. Gilmour for the visit.
The High Commissioner presented a book for the school library and spoke about the Canadian government’s engagement with the Aga Khan Development Network, expressing satisfaction with progress in different fields.
Aga Khan School Shuist was established in 1992, the first school to be built in the village. It was upgraded to a middle school in 2016 and to a high school in 2018, providing continuity of education till matriculation to the children to Shuist.
Recently, six additional classrooms, science and computer laboratories, a library, staffroom and washrooms were added to the school campus. In addition, in 2019, faculty housing was constructed near the school to provide accommodation for out-of-station teachers.
Aga Khan School, Shuist, has an enrollment of around 400 students. Plans are underway to upgrade the school to a higher secondary from this year onward.
Good work and Canada is friend of Pakistan.
We appreciate Wendy Gilmore, Canadian High Commission for Pakistan for their support in the field of education and health and for visiting far flung area of Chitral. We are also grateful to AKF Chief, GM AKESP and local community for their support on the road towards learning.
Outstanding job
Congratulations to the community for this achievement. A higher secondary on the roof of the world is a proud milestone for the AKDN, and AKES,P in particular. By road takes 19 hours non stop to this place from Chitral town. The Canadian communities and the government must be congratulated for their untiring efforts in reaching the roof of the world with their as lofty and noble ideals. Accolades!