JI launches Bano Qabil programme’s 2nd phase

PESHAWAR: The Al-Khidmat Foundation awarded certificates and laptops to the high achievers of first batch of over 10,000 students from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who completed free IT training under the Bano Qabil programme, and launched the second phase of the programme with 28 additional courses at a grand ceremony here on Sunday.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Chief and founder of Bano Qabil programme Hafiz Naeemur Rahman was the chief guest on the occasion. Arranged at the spacious Nishtar Hall here, the programme was largely attended by the graduating students, their parents, JI and Alkhidmat Foundation’s leaders, professors and people from different walks of life.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the Bano Qabil programme has emerged as a beacon of hope for youth across the country. He said it offered pathways to skill development and economic opportunity. He distributed certificates and laptops to high-achieving students and formally inaugurated the second phase of the programme.

Hafiz Naeem also criticised successive governments for consistently neglecting the education sector since the country’s inception. “A class-based education system has been imposed on the nation, limiting opportunities and undermining progress,” he said. “Today, government schools are so poorly maintained that most parents prefer to send their children to private institutions,” he added.

The JI chief stressed the need to invest in the country’s youth, who made up over 65 percent of the population. “The government must focus on reintegrating out-of-school children and increasing the education budget rather than privatising universities or selling off public land. Initiatives like Bano Qabil can bring real change if supported with vision and resources,” he said.

Calling for a uniform education system, Hafiz Naeem underlined the need for “one curriculum, one system and one language” as a foundation for national integration and development.The JI chief also expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine, who have been experiencing Israeli aggression for the last nearly two years. He strongly condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza and urged the Pakistani government to take a firm moral stand in support of the Palestinian cause.

Prominent among those attended the ceremony included Prof Dr Hafeezur Rehman, president of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan, Abdul Wasi, JI’s KP (Central) president; Khalid Waqas Chamkani, provincial president of Alkhidmat Foundation, JI provincial general secretary Sabir Hussain Awan, district president Behrullah Khan advocate and Fazal Muqeem Khan, president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce.

In his address, Khalid Waqas said that the programme had received over 186,000 online applications last year, with more than 25,000 candidates sitting for the province’s largest-ever IT entry test. “Today, we celebrate the success of the first batch, but this is just the beginning,” he said.