ISLAMABAD: Thousands of students across Pakistan are seeking admission to the newly established Islamabad Daanish School, which has received over 7,000 applications against just 210 seats.

The state-of-the-art school is all set to start classes from next month. Initially, admissions are being offered only in classes six, seven and eight.

Each class will have two sections with a capacity of 35 students each.

In response to the admission call, 7,387 students from across Pakistan showed interest and appeared in the admission test conducted by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE).

FBISE conducts admission test nationwide; classes for grades 6-8 to begin next month

When contacted, FBISE Chairman Dr Ikram Ali Malik said that on the direction of the federal government the board conducted the admission test across Pakistan, in which 5,272 students appeared.

“Apart from 5,326 students who applied online within the given time period, walk-in candidates were also allowed and around 1,600 candidates also appeared for the test. Admissions are being made for 6th, 7th and 8th classes for both boys’ and girls’ sections,” he said.

He added that the FBISE would announce the results of the test in the next few days.

The interview process will then be initiated.

“The response from students of Balochistan, the erstwhile FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan was overwhelming,” he said, adding that through 29 centres across Pakistan, AJK and GB, the FBISE ensured access to the test for the maximum number of students.

Daanish School has the capacity for 1,800 students up to the intermediate level, and it is expected that admissions will gradually be offered in other classes as well.

The school, a project costing around Rs4.8 billion, has been set up in the Kuri area and is the brainchild of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, several similar schools are either under construction or in the process of completing formalities before the start of construction in various parts of the country, including AJK, GB, Chitral, Balochistan and Karachi.

The Islamabad school will start functioning from the upcoming academic session next month as it has been provided the necessary teaching and non-teaching staff by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), while the teachers’ recruitment process is also nearing completion.

Sources said several committees have been notified to complete all arrangements before the start of the academic session.

They added that until the appointment of a regular principal, a senior principal of an FDE-run school has been directed to look after the affairs of Daanish School.

Meanwhile, a board of governors comprising experts is also being formed.

“Everything is on the right track and we will complete all necessary steps before the academic session. We have the required borrowed staff while the process of hiring new staff is in progress,” said a teacher.

It is relevant to note that during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab, PM Shehbaz Sharif had started the Daanish Schools project in the province. Now, he is replicating these schools across the country.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026