The National Press Club (NPC) and Roots Millennium Schools have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate access to quality education for journalists’ children by offering a 50 percent concession on admission and security fees and a 20 percent reduction in tuition fees.
NPC, Roots Millennium Schools sign MoU to offer fee concessions to journalists’ children
ISLAMABAD, Oct 09 (APP): The National Press Club (NPC) and Roots Millennium Schools have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate access to quality education for journalists’ children by offering a 50 percent concession on admission and security fees and a 20 percent reduction in tuition fees.
The agreement was signed by NPC President Abdul Razzaq Sial and Roots Millennium Schools Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Faisal Mushtaq in a ceremony held at the National Press Club on Friday.
The initiative is aimed at providing financial relief to the journalist families and expand educational opportunities for their children.
Addressing the ceremony, NPC President Abdul Razzaq Sial thanked Dr. Faisal Mushtaq for extending the facility to the club’s members.
He said the NPC continued to strengthen cooperation with various institutions to provide maximum facilities to journalists and their families.
He described the agreement as an important step towards helping journalists secure quality education for their children and appreciated Roots Millennium Schools for offering special concessions to NPC members.
NPC Secretary, Dr. Furqan Rao emphasised that the agreement should apply to all campuses of Roots Millennium Schools to enable members residing in different districts of the country to benefit from the facility.
NPC Finance Secretary, Abid Abbasi also thanked the school administration and expressed hope that the partnership would prove beneficial for journalists and their families.
Joint Secretary NPC, Shakeela Jalil and journalists from different organizations attended the ceremony.
Dr. Faisal Mushtaq thanked the NPC leadership and members, saying that facilitating access to quality education remained one of his institution’s key priorities.
He said journalists played an important role in promoting public awareness, social consciousness and democratic values, making educational support for their children a positive social initiative.
Sharing the institution’s journey, he said his mother had laid the foundation of their educational venture in Rawalpindi in 1988 with 40 children.
The initiative had since grown into a nationwide educational network, with 75 campuses offering learning opportunities from early childhood to higher levels of education.
He said Roots Millennium Schools focused not only on conventional education but also on modern technology, robotics, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, foreign languages, sports, teacher training and international educational opportunities. The institution also guided students seeking admission to national and international educational programmes and universities.
Dr. Mushtaq stressed that education was not merely a commercial activity but a social responsibility.
He said the institution offered scholarships to deserving and talented students, while its foundation also worked to strengthen government schools and improve educational standards.
Discussing the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in education, he said digital tools had opened new avenues for learning but could not fully replace the human relationship between teachers, parents and children.
He emphasised the need to balance technological advancement with children’s mental and emotional development, social learning and interpersonal relationships.
Referring to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said school, college and university closures had posed unprecedented challenges to education worldwide.
The experience highlighted the limitations of online learning in meeting children’s academic, social and emotional needs, despite the growing use of digital platforms, ChatGPT and large language models.
He also highlighted concerns regarding excessive screen time and the unnecessary use of mobile phones and the internet among children, urging parents to pay attention to their children’s activities, mental well-being and emotional development.
He said students in grades six, seven and eight at Roots Millennium Schools had access to laptops to help them benefit from modern educational resources. However, he added, technology needed to complement classroom teaching, parental guidance and social development rather than replace them.
Dr. Mushtaq further said the institution would explore extending concessionary facilities to NPC members through its other associated educational brands, with the applicable terms varying according to campuses and programmes.
Under the MoU, NPC members will receive a 50 percent concession on admission fees and security fees, along with a 20 percent reduction in tuition fees, helping ease the financial burden of their children’s education.
The NPC leadership expressed hope that the partnership would contribute to the welfare of the journalist community and help secure a brighter educational future for their children.
