PESHAWAR: The Rashid Shaheed Foundation is establishing an academy with an estimated cost of Rs42 million to provide free education to needy and orphan children.

The foundation has been set up after the name of slain son of veteran ANP politician Mian Iftikhar Hussain who was assassinated by militants in Nowshera in 2010.

The foundation organised a donor conference in Peshawar on Monday to collect donations for the academy. A displaced child from Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, Farhad Khan, presided over the function, according to a statement issued here.

The statement said that around 100 kanals of land had been acquired at Jalozai near Nowshera for setting up the academy, ground breaking ceremony of which, would be held soon.

The academy would comprise technical education centres, a hospital and boarding facilities for students. Under the programme, free education, training and boarding facilities would be provided to the students.

Speaking at the conference, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the foundation would organise more fund-raising programmes. He said that construction of the academy would begin soon and hoped that quality education would be provided to students.

He said that Rashid Shaheed Foundation was providing free education along with uniform, books and other basic facilities to students. He said that various activities, including computer academy, literacy centres, care counseling and primary healthcare were being run under the banner of the foundation.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2018