The Al-Ijaz Inclusive School Model

Different circumstances. One school community. Equal expectations.

In rural Punjab, Pakistan, children facing poverty or the loss of a parent can be separated from opportunities their peers take for granted. Our inclusive school system brings them into the same classrooms, activities, and expectations, while providing residential care and support where needed. Children gain an education, a sense of belonging and a wider choice of futures.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated September 2026

Created by

AL - IJAZ FOUNDATION

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Web presence

2022

Established

342 2024

483 2025

560 2026

1

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All students

Target group

We hope a child in a rural community will no longer have to move to a city, conceal financial hardship, or accept a lower standard of education because of family circumstances. In the long term, we want to help other schools build the capacity to welcome children with different needs into a shared school community, with practical support and serious academic preparation. Our ambition is to make the model understandable, affordable enough to adapt, and measurable enough to improve. We want schools to ask a better question about inclusion: not simply whether a child has been admitted, but whether that child can participate, learn, and imagine a future alongside everyone else. In our community, this means replacing visible divisions between children who can pay, children who need support, and children who have lost a parent with a shared sense of belonging. It also means refusing to lower academic expectations for a child because their circumstances are difficult. Support should help them meet those expectations. At the system level, we hope more rural schools will treat attendance, hygiene, confidence, safeguarding, family relationships and progression to higher education as connected parts of a child’s education. We want schools to record results honestly, learn from children who are still struggling, and share methods another community can adapt. If the model succeeds, inclusion will be visible in the daily life and outcomes of a school, not only in its admission policy.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

We began in a rural community near Kallar Kahar, a town in District Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan, where a child’s circumstances could determine the quality of education available to them. Children who had lost a parent needed sustained care; other families faced financial pressure and limited local opportunities. Many children also needed support in everyday confidence, hygiene, communication, and study habits. We did not want to build a school in which children receiving support were set apart or made to feel indebted. Al-Ijaz Education System was created as a school community where children learn, play, and take part in school life together. Support varies with need, but belonging and expectations do not.
The model grew from a practical question: could a rural school provide both serious academic preparation and the personal care that helps children make use of it? Our answer combines ordinary classrooms, residential support for orphans, attention to character and wellbeing, teacher development, and a close relationship with families. We want a child’s starting point to have less power over their future.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Students attend the same school community, follow the relevant board curriculum, and participate in classes, assemblies, and activities together. Children who need residential care live in the hostel; others attend as day students. Staff work with families on attendance, learning, health and everyday habits. Teachers use regular assessments to identify gaps and provide further support. Students also have access to a library, an IT lab, and opportunities to develop confidence and leadership.
The method is organisational rather than a proprietary app or curriculum: identify barriers, provide support without labelling children, maintain academic expectations, and follow each child’s progress. AES uses its own planning and revision materials alongside the Punjab curriculum.
Our school records show enrolment rising from 180 in 2023 to 342 in 2024 and 483 in 2025. In 2025, 116 enrolled children were orphans, including 57 hostel residents and 59 day students. Reported matriculation results were 100% in 2024 and 2026, and 47 students gained higher education admissions in 2026. These are school-reported outcomes; an independent evaluation has not yet established how much of the change is attributable to the model.

How has it been spreading?

So far, the model has grown mainly within AES in Kallar Kahar. It has not yet been independently adopted by other schools, and we do not want to present enquiries or prospective partnerships as replication.
Over the past two years, enrolment increased from 342 in 2024 to 483 in 2025 and approximately 540–550 in early 2026. AES has developed separate registered boys’ and girls’ secondary and higher secondary schools under one educational approach. Our records also show 116 orphan students enrolled in 2025, 100% matriculation results in 2024 and 2026, and 47 higher education admissions in 2026.
Our next goal is to document the model so another school can test it responsibly. This means preparing practical guidance on admission, safeguarding, residential care, teacher support, family engagement, assessment and costs. We also want stronger tracking of learners’ progress over time and partnerships through which schools can adapt the approach to their own communities. We will describe replication as an achievement only when another institution has implemented it and we can report what happened.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Start by identifying which children face barriers to enrolment, attendance, or belonging. Bring them into ordinary school life, agree on the support each child needs, train staff, and track learning and wellbeing. Residential care should be added only where a school can provide proper safeguarding and supervision. Contact Al-Ijaz Foundation / AES, Kallar Kahar, through its official contact channel to discuss a visit or adaptation.

Implementation steps

1. Understand the local barriers

Meet families, teachers, and community representatives. Review admission, attendance, and withdrawal records. Identify barriers such as cost, travel, care needs, confidence, or learning gaps. Record a starting measure so later changes can be assessed.

2. Make one school community

Set an admission and participation policy that protects each child’s dignity. Place learners in ordinary classes and activities appropriate to their age and learning needs. Explain to staff how support will be provided without publicly labelling or separating children.

3. Arrange support safely

Agree with each family what the child needs. This may include fee support, study help, health referrals or residential care. If offering a hostel, put trained supervision, safeguarding procedures, reporting routes and family contact in place before admitting residents.

4. Prepare teachers and families

Train teachers to identify learning gaps, respond respectfully, and maintain clear expectations. Meet with families regularly about attendance, learning, and well-being. Give staff a route to raise concerns and obtain help with cases beyond the school’s capacity.

5. Measure, learn and adapt

Track attendance, retention, assessments, exam results, wellbeing concerns, and progression. Review the information regularly, listen to students and families, and change practices that are not working. Record both achievements and unresolved difficulties before expanding.