By: Aiman Khattak
In an era where educational disparity and social vulnerability still weigh heavily upon Pakistan’s progress, the Gohar Zaman Foundation (GZF) stands out as a rare institution that not only educates but empowers. Rooted in Peshawar and built upon the life’s work of the late educationist Gohar Zaman (1938–2023), the Foundation represents far more than a charity it is a living philosophy of compassion, community, and change. Guided by the motto “Live for Others,” GZF carries forward a mission that blends quality education with social welfare, relief work, and sustainable development.
Established in 2022, the Foundation is the continuation of Gohar Zaman’s four decades of service to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His educational institutions have collectively educated over 30,000 alumni who now serve as doctors, engineers, and teachers across the country. The Foundation has since evolved into a modern platform that channels this educational legacy into tangible, community-based initiatives. Today, its schools enroll more than 7,000 students, with over 400 teachers trained annually under structured capacity-building programmes that keep pace with 21st-century learning standards.
Under his successor, Aarif Gohar Salarzai, the Foundation now extends that philosophy into a broader social mission. It runs schools, trains teachers, and supports local welfare projects not as separate programmes but as parts of the same idea: education cannot exist in isolation from community life.
The Foundation’s reach is wide but deliberate. Each year, it trains hundreds of teachers, focusing on classroom practices and digital literacy. It runs book drives for under-resourced schools and provides scholarships to students who would otherwise drop out. The goal isn’t to expand endlessly, but to maintain quality within reach of ordinary families.
One of GZF’s most inspiring initiatives took place in late 2024 & 2025 when the Frontier Science Academy, an institution under its umbrella, hosted Pakistan’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence Exhibition for students. The makeshift canopy became a space of wonder and innovation, where 115 young girls proudly displayed 154 projects developed with AI tools. But what made it significant wasn’t just the technology but the confidence it created. In a city where girls’ education is still uneven, that kind of exposure matters far more than the projects themselves.
But the Foundation’s work goes beyond classrooms. When heavy floods struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year, its office in Peshawar became an informal coordination point for relief. Volunteers from its schools collected food, clothing, and medicines, which were then sent to affected areas in Buner, Swabi, and Bajaur, where dozens of families had received ration packs, shoes, and tents. There was no large fundraising drive just a functioning network that knew how to move quickly when needed. This timely, well-organized response reminded many of the late Gohar Zaman’s lifelong dedication to standing by his people during crises, from the 2005 Balakot earthquake to the floods in Swat and the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is perhaps what sets the Foundation apart: its habit of treating education and welfare as extensions of each other. The same teachers who conduct science fairs are often the ones collecting donations during emergencies. The same students who learn about civic duty in classrooms later volunteer in street-library drives. It is a model of quiet participation that relies more on trust than on funding.
Furthermore, equally noteworthy are the Foundation’s long-term welfare projects that weave sustainability into daily life. At the Government Girls High School in Shah Alam area of Peshawar, GZF installed solar panels and a water filtration system, providing students with uninterrupted electricity and clean drinking water. In another project, its Green & Clean Peshawar campaign, run jointly with the KP government, transformed a public space with eco-friendly lighting, wall monuments, and a newly planted green belt, underscoring the Foundation’s alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals on environment, urban resilience, and public health.
Complementing these initiatives is the Open Shelf Street Library, launched in 2023, which has circulated more than 10,000 books among street children under a simple code Read, Return, Donate. It operates on trust, and the trust has not been broken. Children not only return the books they borrow but encourage others to join. The library has since become a quiet symbol of literacy and hope in the heart of Peshawar, proving that community transformation begins with the smallest acts of faith.
Moreover, vocational training has also become a regular feature, especially for women. Courses in sewing, threadwork, and clay art allow participants to develop income-generating skills at home. Many of these women now produce and sell their own crafts – modest earnings, but enough to sustain independence and confidence.
What emerges through these scattered efforts is a pattern: a local organization adjusting to local realities instead of chasing national recognition. Its scale is small, but its structure is practical. It doesn’t rely on donor cycles or large grants; most of its initiatives are community-supported and managed by volunteers drawn from the Foundation’s own network of teachers and alumni.
There is, of course, no shortage of challenges. Funding limits what can be done, and expansion beyond Peshawar remains slow. Yet the Foundation’s strength lies precisely in its restraint. It has avoided the temptation to turn education into a brand, choosing instead to stay close to its original purpose providing accessible, credible learning and responding to social need when required.
The writer is a graduate in Peace and Conflict Studies.
📧: khattakaiman2@gmail.com
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