Abruzzi Higher Secondary School, Shigar

The Abruzzi School, in the picturesque village of Siankhor is the only co-educational institution in the region, with classes that start from Class 5 to 10. A beautifully designed structure constructed by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), the school was gifted to the people of Shigar by the government of Italy on the Golden Jubilee of the first climb of K2 by Italian climbers. Depending on which side of the classroom you are sitting, Abruzzi’s garden can be a learning resource for the students and a teaching tool for the teachers. Every lesson a student learns in a classroom can be practiced through a hands on experience using earth, rock, water, wind and plants. It is like a laboratory where lessons are drawn from nature, there and then, rather than from text books. Book learning and hands on learning go together here.