PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Arshad Ayub Khan praised the academic, digital and sports facilities at the newly established Sapphire International School (SIS), which was formally inaugurated at its Founders’ Day ceremony in Peshawar on Sunday.
Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Masood Khan attended as Guest of Honour, while Qaiser Alam, Managing Director, Elementary Education Foundation, was also present.
The minister appreciated the school’s Cambridge-based academic programme, digitally equipped classrooms with interactive boards, modern learning resources and extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities. He particularly noted the spacious open areas and dedicated outdoor sports facilities, which are relatively uncommon among private schools in the city.
He also appreciated the contribution of the private sector to education and highlighted recent government initiatives to expand access to modern learning. He referred to the newly launched Global Virtual School (GVS), a public-sector digital learning initiative aimed at providing technology- and AI-enabled education to students across the province.
Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Masood Khan highlighted the government’s efforts to bring out-of-school children into the education system, saying their number had been reduced through recent initiatives and expressing confidence that it would decline further in the coming years.
The minister also appreciated the investment made in developing the new school and recruiting qualified and experienced teaching faculty. SIS is academically led by Sidney Rose of the United Kingdom, its full-time Founding Principal and an experienced international educationist.
The guests acknowledged the contribution of the educational network associated with Muhammad Zahoor Sethi and Muhammad Sabur Sethi, President, City University of Science & Information Technology and Managing Director, Peshawar Model Degree Colleges.
The educational journey began with Peshawar Model Schools in 1979, followed by Peshawar Model Degree Colleges in 1997 and City University in 2001, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. Muhammad Ayub Sethi, Chief Executive of Sapphire International School, is carrying the educational initiative into its third generation through the establishment of SIS.
The speakers expressed the hope that the new institution, with its qualified faculty, digital learning environment, modern classrooms and extensive sports and open-space facilities, would make a positive contribution to the quality of education available to children in Peshawar.
