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Educational environment at APS Swat leaves foreign diplomats impressed

By mahboob ali yousafzai
April 11, 2019

MINGORA: Foreign diplomats and representatives of the international media visited the Army Public School (APS), Swat, on Wednesday and were left impressed by the educational environment there.

The APS Swat was established in 2016, where more than 1,000 students are receiving the education.

The visit was arranged by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Islamabad. The ISPR Director General Maj. Gen Asif Ghafoor accompanied the foreign diplomats.

The diplomats who were from 15 countries, including Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Palestine, China, Sri Lanka, Turkey and others mingled with students and shared feelings with them.

The visiting diplomats appreciated the education standards of the school and lauded the sacrifices rendered by the people and security forces for the restoration of peace in the region.

Talking to The News, Sri Lankan High Commissioner Nooruddin Muhammad Shahid said he was happy with the visit to the scenic Swat valley, which was once affected by militancy. “Extremists are no more in control and now the region is free for education,” he said and lauded the quality of education being imparted to the students at the APS Swat.

Another foreign diplomat from Palestine, Walid Abu Ali, said he was pleased to see the determination of both the students and administration for raising the education standards. “This is a good sign and credit goes to the government of Pakistan and the army, which had brought improvement in the education sector,” he added.

A German diplomat, Lorenz Strittmatter, said that he was impressed by the quality of education being imparted to the students. “Development is linked with modern and quality education. I hope these students will play a vital role in the development of Pakistan,” he said and added that terrorism was the common enemy of humanity.

The French diplomat, Rene Consolo, said Europe, particularly France and Germany, had been in close contact with the Pakistani government for the last three decades. He said education was the only key to defeat extremism, adding it was heartening to note that the Swat valley had become peaceful where education was being accorded priority.