11 March 2024

By Eliane El Haber

The story of The Walkway School (TWS) begins in 2018 when Moazzam Syed, an SDG4 Youth & Student Network member and doctoral researcher / staff member at Technological University Dublin, and his friend Zeeshan Saeed, were approached by a child beggar. The two quickly dug into their pockets for money. At the same time, they wondered if by giving the child money, and therefore making him dependent, were they unintentionally driving him further into poverty? Moazzam and Zeeshan realized that to truly change this boy’s life and lives of other children in similar situations, the begging bowl had to be replaced with a book. So, they decided to open a school to teach underprivileged kids, free of charge. With this critical step, The Walkway School (TWS), a school for disadvantaged children, was established.

As of 2021–22, 26.21 million children were out of school across Pakistan, representing 39% of school-aged children in the country.  The Walkway School aims to reduce the number of out-of-school children and mainstream them into public and private educational institutes. 

As of January 2024, The Walkway School has educated over 4,800 children in rural Pakistan, making a positive on children such as Bisma, Nazakat, Liaquat, and Hoorain. The school not only provides education but also clean energy, water, and employment opportunities. The aim is to serve over 30,000 children by 2030. 

The education center works on three main activities: one, acting as a bridge between public and private institutes and communities to identify and enroll children and working with these partners on early childhood education; two, enrolling children into public and private sector institutes on multi-year fully funded scholarships; and three, identifying and building sustainable green classrooms in rural areas. TWS also provides tutoring services, public health awareness, psychological and welfare assistance, and access to clean water and energy. 

Transforming education locally

The Walkway School has raised more than 60,000 USD through crowdfunding and has mobilized more than 1.5 million people, trained several hundred youths, acquired dozens of financial and strategic partnerships, and mobilized and onboarded several hundred donors to support the initiative. Most importantly, the school has also inspired young people to launch youth organizations to address local community challenges across Pakistan. 

The Walkway School was awarded the 2022 Diana Award for its outstanding contribution towards SDG4 Quality Education. The initiative was also awarded the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Award Special Commendation for its remarkable contributions towards education for sustainable development. In 2021, it was also featured in the UN SDG Action Campaign to highlight the importance of education in sustainable development. The Walkway School is also an alumnus of Youth Co: Lab, Asia Pacific’s largest social entrepreneurship movement, co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation.

In both 2021 and 2023, TWS was celebrated as a youth-led solution by the UN Youth Office (formerly the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy for Youth) as part of the International Youth Day celebration.  

Stories such as the one of The Walkway School serve as an example of how youth engagement successfully drives education transformation on the ground. Through his leadership, Moazzam had an idea but then also the courage to take action that positively impacted children and communities in rural Pakistan. As the young leader states, "Education not only breaks the chains of poverty but also fosters the independence necessary for individuals to cultivate a sustainable and thriving livelihood." In essence, education turns begging bowls into books that turn into opportunities.