KARACHI, November 15, 2010: Pirzada and Rahman inaugurate Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) Block at Hub School

KARACHI, November 15, 2010: Pirzada and Rahman inaugurate Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) Block at Hub School

Chairman, Pakistan Petroleum Limited’s (PPL) Board of Directors Hidayatullah Pirzada and MD and CEO Khalid Rahman inaugurated the PPL-sponsored academic block at The Hub School (THS), a not-for-profit project of the Ahmed E.H. Jaffer Foundation (AEHJF). The inauguration took place at the school’s premises in Hub, Balochistan on November 14 and was attended by PPL’s management and staff and corporate sector and media representatives.

PPL donated Rs. 50 million for construction of the block, spanning 24,000 square feet with 24 classrooms, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme. As acknowledged by Abdul Kader Jaffer, President, AEHJF, the company has the distinction of not only being the first but also the largest local donor of the THS.

Pirzada lauded the efforts of the AEHJF to provide quality education to deserving students. “I am impressed by what THS has to offer in terms of infrastructure and facilities. Access to quality education remains a pressing need throughout the country, especially in Balochistan. As an endeavour that seeks to address this gap, THS is indeed a noble cause.”

Speaking on the occasion, Rahman commended the unstinting dedication and efforts of Abdul Kader Jaffer and THS Board of Governors that enabled the creation of an academic centre of excellence in Balochistan. “PPL’s primary motivation is THS’s commitment to promote the cause of education by extending need-based scholarships to 15 percent of its students, particularly those belonging to Balochistan. “On this note, I urge you to approach other corporate sector organizations for additional funding in order to eventually extend scholarships to 50 percent of your student body,” he added.

Giving an overview of the company’s CSR programme, particularly its initiatives in the education sector, Rahman said, “PPL remains a leading corporate provider of social development and welfare services with a well-funded, diverse and sustainable CSR programme that reaches out to disadvantaged communities living in all our operational areas as well as other parts of the country.”

On the education front, PPL operates and supports five schools and colleges in Sui and a similar number in Kandhkot. The company also awards 70 annual scholarships to deserving students of various institutions, including those in District Dera Bugti, and provides vocational and livelihood generation capacity building for stakeholder communities.