Education, values, and shared cultural memory lie at the heart of Beaconhouse’s journey — Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri
Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, who was the chief guest at an event commemorating 50 years of Beaconhouse, commended Beaconhouse’s long-standing role in strengthening national integration through imparting quality education in all the provinces of Pakistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The event was held at the Beaconhouse PECHS Campus, Karachi.
Those present on the occasion included Senator Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, former Federal Minister Javed Jabbar, former Federal Minister & Vice Chancellor SZABIST, Shehnaz Wazir Ali, former Minister of State Mr Wajid Jawad, Afzal Ahmed, Director General, and Rafia Mallah, Additional Director, School Education & Literacy Department, Ali Ahmad Khan, COO BSS and Mr Ali Raza, Group Director, teachers and senior students.
The Chief Minister recognised Beaconhouse for raising standards and delivering consistent, quality education through standardised curricula, contributing to nation-building and shared national purpose. Referring to the launch, Syed Murad Ali Shah commended the publication of Beaconhouse’s commemorative book, Once Upon a Time / Eik Dafa Ka Zikar Hai.
The publication brings together stories told to children of Beaconhouse by their elders, drawing on folklore and oral narrative to connect generations. The book underscores the role of storytelling in promoting interprovincial harmony and preserving cultural memory by foregrounding traditions and values. This was aimed at further cementing Pakistan’s national integration.
Speaking on the occasion, Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri, Founder Chairperson Beaconhouse, reflected on the institution’s journey over five decades and the responsibility that comes with scale and continuity.
Elaborating further on the launch of Once Upon a Time/Eik Dafa ka Zikar Hai, she emphasised Beaconhouse’s belief in education as a force that extends beyond classrooms, shaping character, values, and social responsibility across generations.
Beaconhouse, she added, has made a contribution towards promoting the soft image of Pakistan when it was being portrayed in a negative light by interested quarters, by having successfully operated schools worldwide, providing employment to thousands of Pakistanis abroad as well.
Mrs Kasuri added that Beaconhouse has played a significant role in advancing women’s leadership in education, creating professional opportunities through training, employment, and institutional leadership, with women forming the majority of its 18,000-strong workforce.
Over five decades, Beaconhouse has grown from a single school with 19 students into one of the world’s largest school networks, educating over 400,000 students, a milestone reached in its Golden Jubilee year.
Through its Green Pakistan initiative, Beaconhouse is distributing 1.5 million saplings nationwide to promote environmental stewardship. This project reinforces the organization’s commitment to embedding sustainability within education and contributing to a greener future beyond its own network.
Kasim Kasuri stressed that Beaconhouse teachers are contributing over 10 hours each of training for teachers of schools serving underserved and underprivileged communities across Pakistan, a fact that was appreciated by the Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
The event concluded with reflections by former teachers and a student tribute to Mrs Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri, underscoring the continuity between Beaconhouse’s past, present, and future.
