ISLAMABAD, April 27: Education Minister Zobaida Jalal on Tuesday stressed the need for providing equal opportunities to disadvantaged children by offering scholarships and subsidising their education.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Sheikh Zayed International School (SZIS), the education minister appreciated the efforts of the management committee and teachers for establishing a full educational system within a short span of eight months of formal operation of the school.

The children of different grades also presented a tableau depicting how the UAE, once a desert, was transformed into a lush green oasis and the hub of the world business activity. They also performed a song: "The Emperor is Bored," and a peace song at the end of the ceremony with a message to heal the world by making it a better place and saving it for the children.

Ms Jalal lauded the role of the school management for maintaining a leading position in many educational activities besides attaining the ICGSE accreditation from the British Qualification and Curriculum Authority by following international standards and maintaining a unique standard of quality education.

The school is the first and the only school in Pakistan to attain this distinction. The education minister also extended thanks on behalf of the government of Pakistan to the UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan for his generous help in establishing an international school in Islamabad.

"I am confident that the school will provide an opportunity to their students to realize their full potentials, equipping them with relevant knowledge and instilling in them a firm sense of international brotherhood," she said.

It is heartening to note that the school is being run on non- profit basis and has been fully financed by the UAE president. Earlier, the UAE ambassador to Pakistan and head of the committee of the school Ali Mohammad Al Shamsi, said the existence of this type of school indicated a major change in type of projects undertaken by the UAE for Pakistan. UAE is determined to contribute in administering these projects particularly in health and education fields, he said.