The time for investing in the education of Pakistani youth is now. There is no greater or longer-lasting legacy for any citizen than giving to education. While those who have can share their good fortune with those who have not, everyone can and must contribute to improve education quality and access for youth.Even the smallest gift to education can make a tremendous change in the life of a student who travels hours to reach a school, stays late at night to study after a full day of work, or who has big dreams for the future.
Big dreams come true with support There are many ways to contribute to the education of the next generation such as donating to student-oriented endowment funds, establishing public-private partnerships with universities, or simply donating toward student scholarships. All these contributions can bring changes that will last for years to come and ensure a lifetime legacy that will be remembered and honoured not just by individuals, but celebrated by everyone.
The Promotion of Education in Pakistan (PEP) Foundation lost one of these philanthropists and one of its founders, Dr Inge Grundke-Iqbal, last month. A native of Germany, Inge was, in addition to being a world-leading Alzheimer’s disease researcher, a passionate educationist committed to helping talented students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in Pakistan.
Since 1994, Dr Grundke-Iqbal dedicated much of her energy, resources and time to increase access to quality education for those Pakistanis who could not afford it otherwise. Through PEP Foundation activities, she ensured that talented students have a fair chance to continue their studies, advancing their talents. Inge was a strong advocate of student voices in Pakistan. During many professional meetings concerning education issues organised by PEP Foundation in Pakistan and New York, she ensured that students were well-represented and that their opinions and concerns were heard.
Inge Grundke-Iqbal defines a great, lifetime educationist who supported the dreams of many poor students in Pakistan and made it possible for them to earn graduate and undergraduate degrees by generously donating her lecture earnings, salary, prizes and book royalties to this cause. Her legacy continues to live on through the projects of the PEP Foundation, such as the Student Advancement Fund Endowment (SAFEs) and Student Start-Up Business Centres (SSBCs) at various public and private higher education institutions in Pakistan. Many students and future generations of students, will continue to benefit from these projects and from Inge Grundke-Iqbal’s dedication to improve education.
Big pockets, big hearts Another notable example in Pakistani education philanthropy is represented at one of the best institutions of the country. In addition to an education of world-class standard, LUMS has taken serious steps to attract the most talented students who cannot afford it financially by awarding Rs340 million financial assistance to more than 40 per cent of its students.
The Vice Chancellor, Dr Adil Najam, is rightly proud to have earned the trust of the Suleman Dawood family, the Syed Babar Ali family, and the Mushtaq Gurmani family, whose donations made it possible to add to the existing Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) two newly named Schools — the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering and the Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and within the next three years an independent School of Law. The School of Science and Engineering, which graduated its first class of undergraduates, is being named after LUMS Pro Chancellor Syed Babar Ali to commemorate his vision, dedication and philanthropy as the single largest donor to LUMS over the last 26 years.
In an interview with The New York Times that was printed in the Dec 19, 2009, issue, Syed Babar Ali emphasised his conviction that one day LUMS students might deliver the leadership skills needed to change the country for good. As a Harvard Business School graduate, he fully understands the importance of quality higher education and the crucial role it plays in preparing leaders. His vision is fully embraced by other philanthropic families, such as the Gurmani Foundation, that endowed the Gurmani Centre for Language and Literature at LUMS and recently gave LUMS the largest private single gift ever given to any higher educational institution in Pakistan, a Pakistani Rs 1 billion endowment, to assist talented students with financial assistance and other scholarly activities.
The way forward Pakistan’s youth, making up the majority of the population, must be educated and provided with the necessary skills to become a viable workforce and produce the next generation of innovators, and leaders. By increasing access, improving quality and having more means to reward talent, education at all levels can offer many opportunities to its youth and to the general population.
Educating young Pakistanis must become a national priority not just for the government, the educationists and the visionaries of the society, but a concern shared by all citizens. Families that give to education causes, regardless of their identification as business people, those of modest means, or internationally recognised scientists, all share the vision and the commitment to invest in the future of Pakistan. Their foresight and dedication must be shared and thus enlighten all other families and individuals to help alleviate the burden of the education crisis in Pakistan. The gift of education is immortal and ensures a legacy like no other, benefiting not just one individual but the society, and the world.
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