OKARA: The foundation stone of District Public School ( DPS), Gogera branch, was finally jointly laid down by MNA Nadeem Abbas Rubera and his brother MPA Ghulam Raza Rubera and Okara Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Usman Javed following a long struggle by locals.

The school would be built on a 10-acre piece of government land, that was leased out for the purpose, some 20km away from the city on Okara-Faisalabad road.

Around 10 years ago, an Islamabad-based philanthropist, Malik Aslam, who was a native to the area, donated land for the school and got built its building. He kept funding the school from his own pocket till his death in 2022.

However, after his death, his legal heirs stopped funding the school and eventually took back its building and land.

The school was then shifted to another rented building and some local philanthropists started funding it.

The school Principal, retired Pro Ijaz, kept on struggling personally to avert its closure and succeeded to bring on board the local parliamentarians, Rubera brothers, who not only secured the 10-acre land lease, but also got approved Rs300 million for the construction of its building. Of the approved amount, Rs150m have been received so far. The lands lease was secured with the cooperation of DC Ahmad Usman Javid.

Addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony, MNA Nadeem Rubera said that a special grant would also be approved by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the school.

The Gogera rural belt people are happy with development that would facilitate education oftheir children.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026