PESHAWAR: Mercy Education Complex, established by the State of Kuwait to provide free education to the orphan children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been facing financial crisis after stoppage of funding last year.

The then president late Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari had inaugurated the complex spreading over 50-kanal to impart free education from nursery to matriculation and vocational training to the deserving orphan boys in 1994. In June last year, Kuwait stopped sponsoring the complex, prompting the administration to launch local appeal for funds to be able to run the institution.

“Currently, 508 students including 68 from Peshawar and the rest from the other districts are studying at Mercy Pak High School. They have shown outstanding results in the examinations conducted by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar,” Dr Faqir Mohammad Anwar, the director of MEF, told Dawn.

Kuwait has stopped funding since last year

He said that the complex, housing school, training workshops, hostel, playground, library and mosque, employed 110 people including 30 teachers and support staff. He said that till last year the staffers were paid salaries from the funds provided by Kuwait. “Now we need to generate money locally for continuation of the project,” he added.

Dr Faqir said that lodging, clothing, food, medical and recreation facilities were provided to the students at the institution. He added that computer skill was mandatory for all students, most of whom were successful in professional careers.

“The students are selected through an entrance test. The institution is exclusively for orphans, who are selected through open merit.

“The ones, who belong to rich families, don’t stand entitled to be enrolled,” he said.

Dr Faqir said Kuwait had been providing Rs60 million per year to the institution for the last 25 years besides building vast infrastructure. “Now it is responsibility of the government, local organisations and philanthropists to support the children to complete their education,” he added.

He said that only funds would enable them to keep the activities afoot.

“We have installed solar system in the school but need it in the hostel due to 12 to 14 hours power outages every day for which Rs2.7million is required,” he said.

Mercy Pak Vocational Training Institute, which imparts vocational training, electrical, automobile, refrigeration, air-conditioning and tailoring skills inside the complex, is affiliated with Board of Technical Education where its students have been getting top three positions for the last 15 years.

Dr Faqir said that their mission was development of each individual intellectually, physically and spiritually to the fullest potential to grow in grace and dignity through knowledge and faith to contribute positively to a peaceful society, based on highest divine principles.

Besides, modern education, religious studies were compulsory in the school, he said.

“We have began a campaign “Sponsor an Orphan” to get financial support of Rs120,000 annually to raise one child,” he said. He added that the residential education facility, looked after by Mercy Pak, a charitable registered organisation, was trying to generate resources to avoid closure of the educational facility.

“Consider this school for orphans as one of your top priority areas of financial assistance, as there are no other sources to keep running this facility now. It will be tragedy if this facility for orphans is closed merely because of financial reasons,” said Dr Faqir.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2019