Mrs Nasreen M Kasuri has been presented with the Pakistan Power 100 Professional Excellence Award at a prestigious gala event in London on 29th September. This was one of the 15 special awards given to the most outstanding achievers from those who made it on to the Pakistan Power 100 list, a unique ranking of the most influential and successful Pakistanis across the globe.

Mrs Kasuri, Chairperson and founder of Beaconhouse, was among 33,000 individuals nominated for the list who, whether through position or personality, exercised significant authority that influenced events and set parameters in the conduct of their organisation, the climate of political debate and the shaping of new ideas. The nominations identified prominent and successful Pakistanis from all walks of life and included Abdul Sattar Edhi, Imran Khan, Syed Babar Ali, Mian Mohammad Mansha, Sherry Rehman, Seema Aziz, Monis Rahman, Asma Jahangir, Rashid Rana and Tehmina Durrani among many others.

Among the awards for outstanding achievement in specific fields were the Humanitarian Lifetime Award presented to Abdul Sattar Edhi for his lifelong commitment to the welfare of the people of Pakistan, the Public Sector Award to Roshaneh Zafar for her outstanding contributions to microfinance in Pakistan, and a Trailblazer Award to explorer and artist Namira Salim. 

Two significant new appointments have been made to meet the dynamic operational goals of Beaconhouse.  Mr Danial Kasuri, who has been at the helm of the Northern Region in Pakistan for the greater part of the last decade, will be relocating to Dubai to take charge of the Beaconhouse Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region.  He will be succeeded in Islamabad by Mr Nassir Kasuri.

During his tenure, Mr Danial Kasuri has led the Northern Region and a dedicated team to excellence in every domain - from business development and growth statistics to academics; student, staff and parental engagement, and extracurricular initiatives. He will play an equally pivotal role in the development and expansion of the Beaconhouse MENA region.

Mr Nassir Kasuri will take over as Regional Director, BSS Northern Region, Pakistan.  Prior to this appointment, his involvement with the Beaconhouse IT Department over many years has seen him mastermind the organisation’s rapid advancements towards complete automation.  He has also served as Project Director of The Educators for a couple of years and headed an ambitious project in the energy sector which was successfully sold to a public sector organisation some years ago.

These appointments will bring a wealth of experience and a fresh synergy to two key regions. The transition is due to be implemented between mid-September and mid-October as it involves a parallel run of approximately one month.

Beaconhouse students have once again achieved brilliant results in both O and A Level examinations with the highest number of As in Pakistan. Largest of the three regions, the Central Region currently runs 7 A Level Programmes across Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan. The O and A Level results are exceptional with 566 O Level students receiving 5 As and above (48% of the total students) and 16 A Level students achieving 5As and above.

The BSS Northern Region offers O and A Level programmes in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Wah and Peshawar. Students in this region have highly impressive results with 328 O Level students receiving 5 As and above (49% of the total students), and 11 A Level students achieving an outstanding 5 As and above.

In the Southern Region, A Level programmes are offered in Karachi and Hyderabad, with O Level programmes in Bahawalpur and Quetta. The O Level results are remarkable with 378 students receiving 5 As and above (46% of the total students). The A Level results are equally impressive with 9 A Level students achieving 5 As and above and 43 students with 4 As.

Beaconhouse is a modern and flourishing educational organisation, keeping pace with current trends while remaining true to its traditional values. Over the past 37 years, it has steadily built up an unrivalled and professionally qualified faculty for the O and A Level programmes, with Pakistan`s largest number of permanent, fulltime teachers. Beaconhouse expertise in curriculum development and teacher training in collaboration with UK universities is second to none and ensures the continuous professional development of staff.

Beaconhouse also incorporates flexibility and individual choice in its academic curriculum so that every student is able to maximise their potential by making appropriate decisions on the right balance of subject options. Underpinning the commitment to provide students with every opportunity to excel academically is a determination to involve and engage students in activities that will define and refine other equally important skills such as leadership, public speaking, creativity, and empathy.

The Canal Side Campus`s dedicated, hardworking and talented Muhammad Sarmad Waqar Hashmi, a student of Class X-M, has topped the Matric examinations held by the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) with an astounding 1,021 marks out of a possible 1,050.

Punjab Chief Minister Mr Shahbaz Sharif awarded Sarmad a gold medal, Rs 20,000 cash and an HP laptop at the BISE Prize Distribution Ceremony held in Lahore.

Sarmad is a gifted student who is equally good at academics and sports. He is a polite, helpful and a courteous young man who has also won debating competitions and taken part in the Intra-Region Cricket Tournament.

Way to go Sarmad, keep excelling in life and making us proud!

TNS Beaconhouse has been officially authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme, becoming the first `IB World School` in Lahore and only the second in Pakistan.  In due course, TNS will also offer the IB Diploma (equivalent to A Levels).  This is a significant achievement in line with the TNS commitment to provide an innovative and rigorous educational pathway for its students.  The IB is increasingly the preferred entrance qualification of the world`s leading universities

The IB Middle Years Programme is a natural progression for the project-based learning practiced at TNS.  It provides a framework of academic challenge for students aged 11 to 16 that encourages them to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and guides them towards becoming international-minded critical and reflective thinkers. 

Gymboree Play & Music launched its second centre in Pakistan with an Early Childhood Festival 2012. It featured free previews of Gymboree classes along with free seminars for parents on Child Nutrition Needs, Special Learning Needs, Nurturing Creativity, Confidence and Friendship in Young Children, and others.

Hundreds of families attended the festival throughout the day. Sophia K. Kasuri, Director of Gymboree Pakistan, said the second centre in Lahore was in response to the countless queries from parents following the opening of the first centre a year ago and more people could now benefit from the same level of excellence that had become the hallmark of Gymboree all over the world.  With over 700 centres in 37 countries, Gymboree is the world leader in early childhood development. Their programmes are also recognised for their unique approach to parent involvement - which encourages participation in and understanding of each child`s development. 

Beaconhouse is the only authorised franchise of Gymboree programmes in Pakistan and plans to open centres nationwide. Its first centre outside Lahore is expected later this year.

For the second year running the Beaconhouse School System hosted "Little Leaders", an event focusing on the role parents can play in their child’s social and intellectual growth. On the last Sunday in January eighteen Beaconhouse schools across the country opened their doors to parents of children aged 3 to 8 for a full day of free interactive workshops and activities.

The programme of fully interactive workshops was based on the latest research in education and child development and included hands-on activities and question-and-answer sessions. The topics included `How to Raise a Leader; ‘Parenting for Today: Raising Tomorrow’s Leaders’; ‘How to Raise a Reader’; ‘How your Child can love Maths’; ‘How your Child can learn through Play’, and ‘How to use Technology with your Child’.  Each was designed to provide simple strategies to instil a sense of leadership and responsibility in the young, as well as helping them to develop core skills in a world that has become increasingly competitive.  

In particular, the event highlighted ways in which to promote a lifelong appreciation and love for books. Parents were also guided on tips and techniques to practise with their young ones to make them appreciate the fun and magic of mathematics and technology and how they could be applied in virtually every sphere of life.

While parents were busy in the workshops, the children were kept fully occupied in a range of activities included storytelling, sports, art and craft, pottery, puppetry, jumping castle and games.

Gymboree Play & Music launched its second centre in Pakistan with an Early Childhood Festival 2012. It featured free previews of Gymboree classes along with free seminars for parents on Child Nutrition Needs, Special Learning Needs, Nurturing Creativity, Confidence and Friendship in Young Children, and others.

Hundreds of families attended the festival throughout the day. Sophia K. Kasuri, Director of Gymboree Pakistan, said the second centre in Lahore was in response to the countless queries from parents following the opening of the first centre a year ago and more people could now benefit from the same level of excellence that had become the hallmark of Gymboree all over the world.  With over 700 centres in 37 countries, Gymboree is the world leader in early childhood development. Their programmes are also recognised for their unique approach to parent involvement - which encourages participation in and understanding of each child’s development. 

Beaconhouse is the only authorised franchise of Gymboree programmes in Pakistan and plans to open centres nationwide. Its first centre outside Lahore is expected later this year.