ABOUT > HISTORY
A GLIMPSE OF AN ICONIC LUMINARY:
NASRA WAZIR ALI (S.I.)
LATE LEGENDARY BENEFACTOR
KANIZ WAJID KHAN
Established in 1949 and registered in 1950 under the Trust Act of 1882, Education Trust Nasra School (ETNS) started from a mere two rooms in Nasra Wazir Ali’s own home. Borne in the post-partition era of early 1949, out of the sheer necessity to accommodate for the lack of educational facilities in the neighborhood, ETNS has impressively grown to encompass five large purpose-built campuses, each one carrying out our late founder’s humanitarian mission: To provide low-cost, high-quality education to the children of underserved communities, in an effort to bridge the education and gender gaps prevalent in Pakistan.
NASRA WAZIR ALI (S.I.)
LATE FOUNDER OF ETNS
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PIONEER EDUCATIONALIST OF PAKISTAN
HUMANITARIAN
RECIPIENT OF SITARA-E-IMTIAZ AWARD
1922 - 2015
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NASRA SCHOOL'S TIMELINE
Born on May 28, 1922, Nasra Wazir Ali was the youngest daughter of late Malik Maula Buksh, a landlord of Goorali Village in Gujrat District, Punjab. A self-educated man, he built a school for the village which Nasra herself attended during her early primary years, despite being the only female student in a class of thirty. She later attended Lady McLagan High School in Lahore as a full-time boarder from class 3 until matriculation.
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A bright student, Nasra graduated from Lahore College for Women with a Bachelors degree in English Literature, attaining Honors. Her marriage to Malik Wazir Ali, a prominent member of the Indian Civil Service, lent her the opportunity to travel extensively and reside in various countries around the world, inculcating in her a sense of worldly wisdom, broadening her horizons and honing her foresight. Thus, when the time came to contribute to the social development of a newly formed, desolate, post-partition Pakistan dependent upon the services of educated volunteers, Nasra Wazir Ali, in a display of true leadership, rose to the challenge, facing seemingly insurmountable adversity along the way with grace, courage and perseverance. Her humble offer to teach the neighborhood children, along with her own daughter Shahnaz, out of her family home in Karachi was met with such profound gratitude that Nasra magnanimously allocated a portion of her home to the cause. Thus began Nasra School, a small yet rapidly growing class for preprimary school children, out of the living room of a government-owned bungalow on Bunder Road, in Feb. 1949. The following year saw the official registration of the Education Trust Nasra School (ETNS), as not-for-profit organization established to provide high-quality, English-medium education to children belonging to lower income households- a sector often marginalized and dismissed by negligent society.
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Does this school follow the Matric or O'Level System?ETNS follows the Matric System.
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Is this a Primary or Secondary School?Our curriculum encompasses Pre-Primary to Higher Secondary academic levels. Pre-Primary includes Nursery, Junior Prep and Senior Prep. Primary includes Classes 1 - 5; Secondary includes Classes 6 - 10; and Higher Secondary comprises of Classes 11 and 12. Please check our Academic Page for more details.
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Where are your campuses located?There are 5 Nasra School campuses in the following areas of Karachi: Saddar (main); Malir; Korangi; North Karachi and Super Highway. Please see our contact page for specific information regarding addresses and phone numbers of each campus.
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What are the fees?Fees vary from campus to campus. The admission fee is Rs 5,000. Please call the prospective campus of your choice for an exact quotation.
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What makes you different from other schools?At Nasra School, we pride ourselves on the outstanding curriculum and extra-curricular activities we provide to all of our students, starting at the Pre-Primary level, because we believe in educating the whole child- mentally, physically, morally, as well as socially and spiritually. This holistic approach to attain the ideal level of "Balanced Excellence" has been a part of Nasra philosophy since the school was started in 1949, and ultimately serves to set our students apart from those who are educated according to traditional, mainstream curriculum. Please visit the About page for more details on our Holistic Approach.
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What are the school timings?We have 2 shifts at each of our 5 campuses, a Morning and an Afternoon Shift. The timings are as follows: Morning Shift: 7:30 am - 12:30 pm Afternoon Shift: 12:30 pm - 5:30 pm
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What is the admission criteria?Students applying to Nasra School will be grouped according to age eligibilty requirements. Along with submitting the Admission Application Form inclusive of all the necessary documentation, Nasra School holds an Entry Test (for those applying for Primary Section and above) as well as an interview session. Please visit our Admissions Process Page for more details.
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What is the age requirement for Pre-Primary applicants?At ETNS, we divide our Pre-Primary sections based on the following age groups: Nursery: 2.5 - 3.5 years Junior Prep: 3.5 - 4.5 years Senior Prep: 4.5 - 5.5 years Students above 5.5 years rightly belong in Class 1, Primary education.
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Which curricula do you offer?For our Secondary and Higher Secondary academic levels, we offer 2 streams of education: Karachi Examination Board and Aga Khan University Examination Board.
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Does the school provide curriculum text books?Yes, they are available for purchase at each campus, at prices lower than market value.
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Does the school provide transport?At this time, Nasra School does not provide student transport.
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How qualified is the teaching faculty?The minimum degree required for teaching at ETNS is an Intermediate diploma, but a Bachelor's degree (which most of our faculty have attained) is preferable.
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Does the school offer extracurricular activities?Nasra School has a wide range of exciting cocurricular activities for students to participate in, including competitve sports (cricket, table tennis, throwball, Karachi olympics, karate, archery, etc) as well as Urdu/English debates, poetry, spelling competitions, drama, dance and music performances. We also encourage community service initiatives to raise awareness and ecoconsciousness of our young students. Please visit our Sports and Student Life sections to gain a deeper understanding of our commitment to delivering overall educational, physical and moral excellence.
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Does ETNS provide financial aid in the form of student loans, scholarships, and sponsorships? "Yes. We provide a range of scholarships based on student need and merit. Approximately 10% of our students are on a full scholarship. Please see the scholarships page for more details.
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Does ETNS provide career counseling?Yes. We do our best to provide career guidance to students based on their individual skills, talents, interests and academic performace, as well as the scope / demand of their desired career in the near future.
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Are Oxford books used in the school?Yes, most of the books are from Oxford.
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CONTINUE READING NASRA WAZIR ALI BIOAs her noble cause gained momentum, several more rooms of Nasra Wazir Ali's home were converted into classrooms, while the family shifted into the garage. Lack of sufficient acreage, combined with a government-imposed ban on scholastic teaching from her property, coerced her to seek adequately-sized real estate in the depths of the congested city in which to house the school. After relocating to a small rental property at the back of Empress Market (the current locale of BMB School) in 1955 for a period of 2 years, Nasra School finally found its first permanent campus at 55 Depot Lines, Saddar in 1957. Over the next 2 decades, thousands of students flooded its classrooms, the curriculum evolved to include matric education, new buildings were added and teachers were trained in Nasra Wazir Ali's shadow, emulating her concern and compassion for student welfare, mirroring her unyielding resolve to give a ray of hope to the forgotten ones. By 2007, ETNS had grown to encompass 5 spacious campuses (Saddar, Malir, Korangi, Super Highway and North Karachi), each replete with modern facilites, producing several hundred thousand capable and conscientious graduates of a progressive mindset- assets to a nation deeply entrenched in ignorance, misogyny and class distinction. A dedicated educationist to her core, Nasra Wazir Ali was awarded the prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz accolade in 2012 for her lifelong contributions to Pakistan's educational sector. Though she passed away in 2015, her invaluable teachings, empathy for humanity, and desire to effectuate the transformation of society (particularly via the education of young girls) constitute the quintessence of her immortal spirit, a movement lingering on as the legacy of Nasra School, poised to transcend the test of time.
KANIZ WAJID KHAN
FORMER CHAIRPERSON OF BOARD
FORMER ETNS TRUSTEE
PIONEER SOCIAL WORKER OF PAKISTAN
CHIEF WELFARE OFFICER, GOVERNMENT
1920 - 2021
Born on June 24th, 1920 in Kotwara, North India, KanIz Sakina Wajid Khan faced several grave adversities and losses during her early childhood including the death of her father and mother at ages 3 and 5 respectively, and the death of her sister at age 6. As orphans of a tender age, she and her brother, Syed Sajid Hussain became wards of the Indian State and were raised at an English boarding establishment, Camille House in Mussorie, under the supervision of caretaker, Aunt Lily.
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Marriage at age 17 to Dr. Sahibzada Wajid Khan, a civil servant occupying the post of Secretary to the Chamber of Princes, opened up an exciting and purpose-driven new chapter of young Kaniz’s life. Having access to the elite political circle of India, she frequently socialized with influential government officials including viceroys, legislatures and ministers.
ZAFRULLAH KHAN MALIK
FOUNDER TRUSTEE ETNS
ARCHITECT OF ETNS TRUST DEED
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WWII VETERAN,
MUSLIM LEAGUE ACTIVIST
1919 - 1992
Born in Gorali on March 23, 1919, 3 miles from Gujrat on the River Chennab, Zafrullah Khan Malik was Nasra Wazir Ali's older brother. After completing his elementary education in Gujrat, he acquired a BA degree from Government College, Lahore. An avid learner with a penchant for law and justice, he proceeded earn his LLB in 1941 from Law College, Lahore. Not fully content with his educational endeavors, he served as an Army Officer in the Second World War for two years. Inspired by The Quaid, he became an activist, touring all over Punjab with Muslim League workers spreading the message and hope for an Independent State. He was a dedicated worker and student leader of the Muslim Students Federation which played a monumental role in the struggle for Pakistan before 1947. He was also a soldier of the Independence Movement under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam.