When a company funds a school, it looks good in photos, but what happens after the cameras leave? This piece examines the visible charm and invisible gaps of CSR in Pakistan’s education sector. Urging companies to think beyond ribbon-cuttings and towards real, lasting change.
I have seen it more than once. A school campus in a remote town, freshly painted, with a corporate banner fluttering outside. The kids pose for the camera, holding up school bags with a logo stitched on them. It is heartwarming and it is happening more and more. Education has become one of the most visible ways for companies in Pakistan to show they care. And in many ways, that is a good thing.
But as someone observing these initiatives from a distance, I can’t help but notice a few patterns. It is always the same regions, the same types of schools, the same kind of media coverage. You hear about the new building, the new library, sometimes even a tech lab. But what happens once the ribbon is cut and the cameras leave? Who is still checking in when the paint begins to fade or when the trained teachers move on?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tied to education is, without a doubt, a step in the right direction. It’s an area that needs help, and any effort, big or small, can plant seeds of change. Watching these efforts unfold across the country reveals clear gaps that still need attention. One major blind spot involves where these educational initiatives are placed.
Many CSR programmes focus on convenience, choosing schools near factories, towns where companies operate, or locations that are easy to access. While this makes logistical sense, it leaves vast portions of the country, especially those that are most neglected, without any attention. Urban slums, remote villages, and conflict-prone regions continue to lag, with few meaningful interventions reaching them.
It creates a landscape where some children receive branded backpacks and free laptops, while others walk miles to overcrowded, underfunded classrooms with no electricity.
It is not just about location either; it is about longevity. Some of these corporate-backed schools do start strong. There is excitement, a boost in enrollment, sometimes even a shift in local attitude towards education. But three or four years later, the story isn’t always the same. Without consistent funding, leadership, or community involvement, these schools begin to struggle. The quality of education drops, the infrastructure wears down, and the promises made during launch events blur into memory.
I have reviewed reports from some of the largest players in this space, and while their investments are significant, the documentation of long-term outcomes is less clear. Are the students completing school? Are they pursuing higher education or entering the workforce with usable skills? We do not hear those stories as often. And maybe that is the point: CSR can sometimes begin with a lot of visibility, but what it really needs is accountability.
Transparency is another layer to this conversation. Many corporations do release annual CSR reports, some even aligned with global standards like the GRI or UNDP’s SDG frameworks. But these reports often highlight what’s been done, not what still needs work. There is little insight into the challenges faced during implementation, the feedback from communities involved, or the areas where strategies may have failed. Without that kind of honest self-reflection, it’s hard for these programs to evolve.
There are exceptions to this trend, and perhaps the most compelling one is Shehzad Roy. His work through Zindagi Trust has taken a completely different route. Instead of building something new, he focussed on what already existed: government schools. His team worked within the system, tackling everything from teacher training and curriculum reform to the emotional well-being of students. I remember watching a short film on how one of the schools they adopted introduced chess and music classes, simple ideas that completely changed the students’ learning environment.
What stood out most was the consistency. Year after year, Zindagi Trust did not just invest money; they invested time, people, and energy. They stayed and adapted, and shared both their successes and failures publicly. That kind of commitment is rare, and it proves that real transformation in education is not about grand gestures; it is about staying in the game long enough to matter.
As more and more companies step into the education space, there is an opportunity to reimagine how corporate power can support the public good, not just through checklists, but through collaboration. It does not have to be perfect, but it does need to be thoughtful. If companies partner with grassroots organisations, involve local communities, and commit to transparency in both success and failure, the outcomes could be deeper and more meaningful.
Education deserves more than a campaign cycle. It deserves attention, accountability, and patience. It deserves investment that is measured not how many buildings go up, but how many children stay in school, thrive, and build lives that stretch beyond the walls of any classroom. CSR can help get us there, but only if it’s willing to ask harder questions, listen longer, and stay present well after the banners come down.
