KARACHI: The Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD), a non-profit organization dedicated to welfare projects for Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said on Friday its decision in February to collaborate with a Karachi-based education startup would benefit expatriates who have about 20,000 out-of-school children.
PAD, which has been serving overseas Pakistanis in the UAE since 1963, announced plans to work with Learn School Academy, established about four years ago to provide digital schooling to students worldwide.
The Pakistani diaspora in the UAE is the second largest overseas community and one of the oldest expatriate groups in the Arab state.
According to PAD General Secretary Zahid Hassan, about 20,000 expatriate Pakistani children currently remain out of school despite strict reservations by the UAE authorities.
“This project has the potential to make a significant impact on increasing the literacy rate and improving the lives of these children,” he told Arab News on Friday. “PAD aims to facilitate education for overseas Pakistanis in the UAE by partnering with Learn School Academy to provide online tuition to children who are unable to attend traditional schools,” he continued. “With this partnership, we believe we can add even more value for the expatriate community living in the UAE by leveraging our expertise and resources in education.”
The founding CEO of the Pakistani education startup, Wahaj Kayani, explained the high cost of private schools in the UAE was a significant barrier for many Pakistanis to provide education to their children.
“Through this partnership with PAD, we aim to provide a more affordable and accessible solution,” he told Arab News.
“This collaboration is specifically designed to help Pakistani and all other overseas communities gain access to high-quality education at a price point that works for them along with a user-friendly online school model,” he added. “The MoU [memorandum of understanding with PAD] outlines a framework for offering scholarships for online learning, enabling students to benefit from Learn Academy’s curriculum and engaging the platform.”
According to the MoU signed between the two entities, the Pakistani academy will offer a 50 percent discount to PAD, which will bear the fee on behalf of the eligible families to educate their children. Both organizations plan to operationalize their collaboration from the next month.
“We believe this initiative will make a significant contribution to educational attainment in the UAE,” Kayani said. “It will enable students from diverse backgrounds to access quality education, including modern pedagogical approaches like project-based learning. This combination of affordability and innovative learning methods can have a real impact on literacy rates and overall educational achievement.”
Hassan, on the other hand, acknowledged that one project alone could not fully meet the educational needs of the Pakistani community.
“There is a pressing need for more schools to cater to such demands,” he said. “Therefore, PAD is actively exploring the possibility of launching a dream school project in the future to provide a long-term, sustainable solution. Our volunteer education team is fully committed to working on this initiative.”
The project is also Learn School Academy’s first collaboration outside Pakistan.
In addition to the initial launch with PAD, it envisions a deeper and more expansive partnership in the UAE and beyond.
“Looking ahead, we envision replicating this successful model by collaborating with similar organizations in other countries across the globe,” Kayani said. “Our next aim is Saudi Arabia for schooling, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada for Islamic education, which we hope to execute by the start of 2025.”
“Ultimately, our goal is to empower both Pakistani communities abroad and global communities at large by facilitating access to high-quality, affordable education,” he added.
Karachi education startup to help Dubai-based association provide online tuition to expatriate children
https://arab.news/c7v92
Karachi education startup to help Dubai-based association provide online tuition to expatriate children
- The collaboration is expected to benefit the overseas Pakistani community in Dubai, with nearly 20,000 out-of-school children
- The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding in February and plan to operationalize it from next month
Pakistan’s PIA enters into cargo deal with Air France-KLM to boost exports
- As per agreement, PIA’s freight division will gain access to Air France-KLM’s network of European, American cities
- Exporters will be able to use both PIA, Air France–KLM’s networks under a single air waybill, says Pakistani airline
KARACHI: The recently privatized Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a cargo agreement with global aviation group Air France-KLM to expand its global outreach and push Pakistani exports to more international markets.
The PIA said its agreement with Air France-KLM came into force on Jan. 15. Air France-KLM operates in 320 destinations and is a global aviation player in passenger, cargo and maintenance businesses.
As per the agreement, PIA Cargo, the airline’s freight division, will gain access to Air France–KLM’s global network. Through the deal, PIA Cargo will gain access to Air France–KLM’s global network via Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam.
Air France-KLM’s network includes major European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, and New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, the PIA said.
“Significant improvement is expected in the exports of Pakistani products and access to global markets,” the PIA said in a statement.
Exporters will be able to use both the PIA’s and Air France–KLM’s networks under a single air waybill, the airline said.
An air waybill is a document used in international air shipping that serves as a legal, non-negotiable contract between the shipper and the airline.
In November 2025, PIA and Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a Cargo Interline Special Agreement to expand cargo business and augment bilateral trade. The partnership aims to minimize logistical complexities in transporting commodities.
The PIA was Pakistan’s national flag carrier until a Pakistani consortium, led by the Arif Habib Group, secured a 75 percent stake in the airline in December for Rs135 billion ($482 million). Pakistan had previously attempted to reform the debt-ridden airline, which had accumulated more than $2.8 billion in financial losses over the years.
PIA’s new owner Arif Habib announced last week that the airline is in talks with aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Airbus as it plans to revamp service and expand its current fleet.
The PIA has said it plans to increase the airline’s fleet to 64 aircraft from the current figure of 19 over the next eight years.
