Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust Higher Secondary School

The Pakistani school empowering marginalised children with 21st-century skills through inquiry-based learning

Sanjan Nagar Public Education Trust Higher Secondary School, a primary and secondary charity school in Glaxo Town Feroz Pur Road Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, has trailblazed the adoption of the IB and PYP curriculum, an inquiry-based approach based on a sustainable and inclusive model that empowers marginalised children with critical 21st century skills. As the first school in Pakistan to offer this curriculum to underserved communities facing high unemployment rates, a diversity in ethnic and religious backgrounds, and a lack of affordability for quality education among economically vulnerable families, it is effectively addressing the educational gap in the highly industrialised region.

Starting in an abandoned factory to bring children off the streets into a school environment with just 10 students and a handful of untrained volunteers as teachers, today the school is a vibrant campus serving close to 800 students. Adopting the IB and PYP curriculum was a turning point in building an environment where access to equity through education for students from all backgrounds is producing confident, articulate graduates who excel academically and can actively contribute to the community around them and broader society. The curriculum integrates the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), critical thinking, inquiry-based learning, and socio-emotional development, enabling students to participate in local exhibitions, community sessions, and expert workshops and become active collaborators on global projects.

Implementing the IB and PYP curriculum was a challenge in terms of convincing both teachers and parents to embrace it. However, the success of the model has seen Sanjan Nagar educate over 800 students, entrenching its reputation for quality education. It has facilitated transformative opportunities through initiatives that have enabled 14 of its students to win scholarships to spend a year studying in the US, providing them with life-changing global exposure, while three have attended regional camps. Seven teachers have also attended professional development courses in the US, enhancing their pedagogical skills, and many alumni have earned full scholarships for postgraduate programmes overseas. The school welcomes students from diverse religious and ethnic communities, maintaining a strong interfaith harmony with approximately 65% of the student body from the Christian community, and students celebrate all religious festivals in unity with an ethos of respect.

Through SDG-related projects, international collaborations, and community initiatives, the school is bridging socio-economic divides with families able to transform their income streams thanks to the career success of graduates, lifting them out of poverty and contributing to overall community wellbeing.

By shifting its educational philosophy and cultural mindset in the community, the school instils in students the agency to remain lifelong learners and active contributors to the global community.