QAFELA, in partnership with Falcon College of Nursing & Health Sciences and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the Elementary & Secondary Education Foundation (ESEF), has achieved a remarkable milestone in improving access to quality primary education in the underserved pockets of Swat and Buner districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Under a long-term agreement of 10 years signed with the Managing Director of ESEF, QAFELA and Falcon College assumed responsibility for the management and operation of 31 low-performing Government Primary Schools—18 schools in District Swat and 13 schools in District Buner. Of these, 26 schools are located in the winter zone, while 5 schools are in the summer zone.
In February 2026, QAFELA officially took over the management of the 26 winter-zone schools. At the time of handover, these schools had a combined enrolment of only 587 students, reflecting years of low community confidence and limited educational opportunities.
Recognizing that quality education begins with strong leadership and community trust, QAFELA launched an intensive school improvement initiative with their own School Transformation Model. The organization recruited highly qualified school principals (MA, B.Ed., M.Phil.) and five graduate trained teachers for each school, strengthened school management systems, improved the learning environment, and conducted an extensive community mobilization and enrolment campaign. The commitment of school staff, support from the QAFELA Head Office, and active participation of local communities became the driving force behind this transformation.
Within just five months, by mid-July 2026, student enrolment has increased dramatically from 587 to 2,640 students—an extraordinary 350% increase over the baseline. This achievement reflects not only the effectiveness of QAFELA’s education model but also the renewed confidence of parents in public education.
One of the most encouraging outcomes is the strong participation of girls. Girls now account for 58.4% of total enrolment, demonstrating the project’s significant contribution to promoting girls’ education and advancing gender equality in rural and underserved communities.
As the quality of teaching continues to improve and communities witness positive changes in their local schools, enrolment is expected to grow even further. QAFELA is confident that, in the coming months, total enrolment will exceed 1,000% of the original baseline, setting a new benchmark for successful public-private partnerships in education.
This achievement demonstrates how visionary collaboration between government institutions, development organizations, educational partners, and local communities can transform struggling schools into thriving centres of learning—giving thousands of children, especially girls, a brighter future through quality education.