THE HUB SCHOOL

Ever since completing my tenure as Pakistan High Commissioner to U.K. in 2003, I have nurtured a dream to continue our family's century-old commitment to education. The Islamia School in Pune was founded in 1907 by my great grandfather, Khan Bahadur Haroon Jaffer. My grandfather; Sir Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer; organised the first Muslim Educational Conference in 1920. My late father,Ahmed E.H.Jaffer, introduced reforms as a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly in 1940. Later, after partition, he raised several bills and motions in the Pakistan Legislative Assembly for improvement and increase in the allocation for Education.

Education has been a legacy of the Jaffer Family to Pakistan. It will continue with the building of The Hub School, a non-profit boarding school for 800 boys which will surpass existing standards of educational excellence in Pakistan. This will be followed by a boarding school for girls and finally a university of national importance on the outskirts of Karachi on 240 acres of valuable land donated by my family.

The task has been daunting but achievable. With the help of friends and well-wishers in Karachi, Dubai and New York, we have so far collected Rs. 500 million and have decided to open the doors of our school for at least 270 boys by early 2013.

The catalyst for this project is twofold - Pakistan has an urgent need for outstanding academic facilities, which offer not only a first-rate education, but also develop young people with strong moral character, who will ultimately benefit their country by residing and working in Pakistan, creating a strong middle class and expanding both educational and employment opportunities. It will produce leaders for all fields with qualities of head and heart and the spirit of selfless service as that of our founder, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

You will agree that providing quality education to young boys for their self-development is the only viable alternative to curb extremism and to produce leadership in all fields from young men and women who are broad-minded and enlightened.

It is the endeavour of the Ahmed E.H. Jaffer Foundation to address this need so that every child grows up to be an important member of the society.

We need Pakistan to be strong and prosperous and stand up in the comity of Nations.

- Abdul Kader Jaffer