“What would a former chief justice of Pakistan be doing after retirement?” asked a recent viral social media post, referring to the former CJP, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja. The post then went on to introduce his post-retirement project — a non-profit institute dedicated to the education of children from neighbouring villages — called Harsukh, which translates as “every blessing”.

The school is housed in Khawaja’s haveli, on the outskirts of Lahore at the Thather village on Bedian Road. Currently offering classes from grade one to nine (which are expected to go up to grade 10 by next year), the school operates in a unique fashion: Here, the teachers include eminent academics, artists and thinkers; a rare sight in a Pakistan school.

Most of the teaching staff consists of volunteer students or graduates from LUMS, Kinnaird, the BNU and the NCA. The former CJP, his wife, noted Kathak exponent Bina Jawwad, and daughters too teach at the school. Aftab Sheikh, who holds a master’s in economics, is the principal.

Harsukh lies in the vicinity of Lahore’s less developed villages. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that most of these villages lack basic facilities such as healthcare and education, due to financial constraints. For the villagers education, let alone quality education, is not a priority.

The Thather village abuts the moneyed elite’s farmhouses and is just a 10 minutes’ drive from Lahore’s posh DHA. While the road network connecting the DHA with Bedian Road is well maintained, there is an absence of basic infrastructure within the villages.

For people such as the poor villagers, risking money on education that may or may not offer returns is out of the question, despite their aspirations for their children. Every day, they are fighting to survive. Many are thus compelled to force their children into labour so that they may contribute to the family’s sustenance. According to the school administration, “This week alone, a number of students have asked for a few days’ leave so that they can help with harvesting the paddy.”

Harsukh has introduced a pedagogy standard that breaks away from the traditional ways of teaching in highly commercialised schools of Lahore. Khawaja tells The News On Sunday that their “primary aim is to teach the children to be humans first and foremost.” The former CJP has also enrolled his grandchildren at Harsukh.

With a clear focus on arts, music, literature and ethics, the students learn while playing. Bina Jawwad, who is a part of the school administration, is a firm believer in the power of nature in exploring purposeful learning. Hence, the students are made to spend as much time outdoors as in the classrooms. “This way they can connect better with nature and themselves,” Jawwad says.

For her, “Music and arts are full of life and if meaning is found in them, they bring the necessary balance to one’s life.”

While many conventional schools in the city may claim to have adopted similar strategies, there is not much evidence of that. At Harsukh, the validity of the claim is reflected not just in the innovative teaching methods but also in the results visible in the outlook and general grooming of the children.

Imagine children who would otherwise be serving as maids or servants in the bungalows of the nearby DHA, fluently reciting Persian verses by the likes of Rumi, Saadi and Hafez. They also study Punjabi sufi poets like Bulleh Shah. This isn’t mere rote-learning; they actually comprehend the language and reflect on the depth of the verses.

A Canadian teacher of sign language, boasting an experience of over 30 years, teaches the subject through synchronous online lectures. Some of the children have learnt to perform Bette Midler’s Rose in sign language. Initiatives like these may be crucial to building a Pakistan inclusive of the differently abled. For its part, Harsukh is inculcating the empathy.

The children learn subjects like mathematics and science. They also have classes on robotics, carpentry and clay work. A California-based teacher takes online classes on computer coding and languages.

For Jawwad, the real success of Harsukh is in the environment that is provided to the children. The way to greatness, she says, is “To love. To love your neighbours, the nature around us and to love the divine.” No wonder, the school lays a great emphasis on finding spiritual contentment. The students are taught the Holy Quran and explained the meaning.

While a majority of students are Muslim, some Sikh children have also enrolled at the school. This works well in the celebration of diversity of faiths. For instance, at a music class, after Bina Jawwad had narrated the significance of qawwali, two of the Sikh students present in the class were asked to recite a classical composition in Raga Bhopali praising the Panjtan Pak (a devotional prayer/song in Sikhism) along with Jawwad’s grandson, lest they’d feel left out.

Harsukh is also concerned with the revival of local languages as per the vision of Khawaja who had during his tenure ordered the reinforcement of Urdu’s status as Pakistan’s official language. In early classes, the children are taught in Urdu and Punjabi. This is because Khawaja believes that “Children learn best when they are taught in the language they speak at home.”

At the same time, English is taught so that the students can cope with the pressures of standard education at higher levels. For Khawaja, this policy ensures that the “children do eventually learn English but do not forsake their mother tongues.”

The self-confidence of the children at Harsukh, the love they have for their teachers and their drive for learning is fascinating. The children appear to be completely at home. A 9^th grader says, “We love our teachers and they love us. I don’t think I’d ever want to leave [this place].”

Khawaja is concerned about the future of these children who he believes are an unexplored asset for Pakistan. He says that he does not accept any financial assistance for the school but is open to offerings that may secure the academic future of these children. His parting remarks are: “You’ve seen these children; they’re not inferior to anyone, they just lack the opportunity.”

The writer is an alumnus of Aitchison College, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at York University, Canada, where he also serves as the Pakistani community director. He writes on politics, current issues and history, and tweets @Khan_Bahadur