Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman paid a visit today to the Punjab Daanish Schools
Lahore, December 17, 2025: Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman paid a visit today to the Punjab Daanish Schools and Centres of Excellence Authority, where he reviewed the progress of the Daanish Schools Project and assessed the overall performance of the Authority.
On this occasion, Managing Director Ahmad Malik gave a detailed briefing to the Finance Minister on the Authority’s academic, administrative, and development initiatives. He informed the provincial minister that the project, which was launched during the tenure of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif with just six Daanish Schools in underdeveloped and low-literacy districts of Punjab, has now expanded to 20 schools. At present, 13,197 deserving male and female students from across Pakistan are receiving free education along with boarding and lodging facilities.
Students at Daanish Schools are provided not only with quality academic instruction but also ample opportunities for sports, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities. Deserving students aspiring for higher education are being supported through admissions to private universities along with educational scholarships. It was further shared that, in addition to hostel facilities, the Authority also bears area development costs for the construction of schools in underdeveloped districts of Punjab. Moreover, students from other provinces, in addition to Punjab, are also benefiting from the Daanish Schools initiative. Currently, 25,632 students are enrolled and receiving training at the Centres of Excellence under the Daanish Schools Authority.
Addressing the gathering, the Punjab Finance Minister stated that Daanish Schools are a landmark educational initiative of Pakistan Muslim League (N), aimed at uplifting districts suffering from extreme poverty and underdevelopment. He said that although unjust criticism by political opponents attempted to slow the progress of this project, today the initiative stands as a shining example of success in itself.
Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman expressed satisfaction that the admission criteria of Daanish Schools remain unchanged since the inception of the project and continue to reflect its original mission. He emphasized that orphans, poor, and deserving children are still being supported, with no comprom
