SAYA School operates under the auspices of the SAYA Welfare Society. It is a social welfare initiative aimed at providing and promoting education to some of the 26 million out-of-school children living on the outskirts of Islamabad. The school began in 2008 with meager resources, and the first classes were held under the shadow of a tree, hence the name SAYA or shadow. From a class of a dozen children, SAYA has grown into a high school with a student population of more than eight hundred boys and girls. It now boasts three purpose-built buildings, a well-stocked library, a computer lab, a chemistry lab, a sports ground with astro turf cover, and proper classrooms equipped with LEDs. Audio-visual aids are regularly used for teaching, and teachers are trained to make use of computers for research.