CM lauds TCF’s journey from five to 2,000 schools in slums and rural areas

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that underprivileged students of schools run by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) have successfully qualified for admissions to prestigious universities and many of them have also passed the CSS exams and others are currently working in national and multinational companies.

“The motto of TCF ‘Quality education for the less privileged’ has had and is having an immense impact on our society,” the CM stated on Thursday while speaking at a programme organised by TCF in collaboration with the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) at a hotel.

The event was titled ‘Greatness of Spirit in Karachi: Book Launch & Magsaysay Laureate Reunion’.

Shah appreciated TCF's journey from five schools to nearly 2000 schools across the country in the urban slums and rural communities. “The Sindh government has given its 500 schools to TCF because of its outstanding results,” he said and added that he was pleased to know that TCF students were qualifying for admissions to prestigious universities and some of them had qualified for CSS exams and Fulbright scholarships and were now serving in national and multinational companies.

The CM expressed his admiration for the RMAF for initiating the prestigious award that is now considered ‘Asian Noble Prize’ in the field of public service.

Shah said that nationality, religion and ethnicity were not the factors that were considered while deciding the recipients of the award.

On behalf of the people of Pakistan, especially Sindh, the CM extended gratitude to the RMAF for giving 13 awards to Pakistanis who dedicated their lives for a public cause.

The event commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and marked the launch of the seven-volume book series titled, ‘GREATNESS OF SPIRIT: Stories of Love, Courage, and Service’, showcasing the inspiring lives of all 348 Ramon Magsaysay award recipients worldwide.

The 13 laureates from Pakistan so far include Henry Holland and Ronald Holland, Akhter Hameed Khan, Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilqis Bano Edhi, Shoaib Sultan Khan, Asma Jahangir, Syed Adibul Hasan Rizvi, Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui, Ruth Pfau, Ibn Abdur Rehman, TCF and Muhammad Amjad Saqib.

The chairperson of the RMAF, Cecilia Lazaro, hailed the Ramon Magsaysay laureates from Pakistan calling them true heroes with unwavering dedication to fighting injustice and serving humanity.

TCF Chairman Ahsan Saleem told the audience that TCF was a non-profit organisation set up in 1995 by a group of concerned citizens. The TCF model focused on providing quality education through purpose-built schools, he said.