A dignified commemorative ceremony was held to mark the first death anniversary of Dr Muhammad Afzal Babar, founding president of the Private Schools Network (PSN), where education leaders and representatives of private schools from across the country paid tribute to his national services in the education sector.
Educationists, school owners, heads of educational institutions and personalities associated with the education sector attended the gathering and recalled Dr Babar’s struggle spanning more than three decades for the rights of students, teachers and private educational institutions.
Speakers said Dr Muhammad Afzal Babar had raised an effective voice for the education community from Karachi to Khyber and from Gilgit to Quetta. They observed that his struggle was not confined to demands alone, as he continuously worked to unite the private education community, promote mutual respect and seek solutions to the problems faced by small and individual educational institutions.
They said Dr Babar provided the private education sector with a common platform and made institutional improvement, professional capacity building, effective training, faculty development and enhancement of educational standards an important part of his mission.
According to the speakers, Dr Babar’s vision was that individual educational institutions should also be able to compete effectively with large education networks and changing market forces through strong administrative and teaching systems.
Those who addressed the ceremony included Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad, Dr H.U. Khan, Aqeel Razzaq from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Saleem Khan of PEN Abbottabad, Dr Shafqat Janjua, Naseer Ahmed Janjua of Pak Land School, Iftikhar Janjua of The Educators, Nasir Sahib, former member of the Board of Governors, Hafiz Basharat, member of the Board of Governors, Sagheer Ahmed of PM Educational Assembly, Ishtiaq Satti, Ibrahim Satti and Raja Shehvez.
The speakers remembered Dr Babar’s services, vision and selfless struggle for the private education community and expressed the resolve that carrying forward his mission was a collective responsibility.
In his presidential address at the conclusion of the ceremony, Maqbool Hussain Dar said the Private Schools Network was committed to continuing Dr Babar’s vision and mission. He reaffirmed that the network would make its efforts more effective for the development of schools, leadership capacity building, professional training of teachers and improvement in educational standards.
He said practical support would be provided, particularly to individual educational institutions, to help them deal with emerging challenges.
The central message of the ceremony was that the departure of a great personality does not bring an end to his cause. Dr Muhammad Afzal Babar’s struggle, insight and services continue to serve as a source of guidance for the private education community.
The participants said his struggle remained their strength, his vision their guidance and his mission their collective responsibility.
