COURAGE, to forgive, to tolerate, to express gratitude, to be generous, to share & to lead.
Khan Sahab Yusaf Ali, who was bestowed with the title “Khan Sahab” on January 1, 1919, got his first of many commendations for his contribution to the field of education for the academic year 1907-08 (ending January 31, 1908). During the next two decades, he relentlessly pursued this cause with two notable events. First, he took it upon himself to use his influence and personal financial resources to expand education in the Toba Tek Singh district by first providing a rent-free house for primary education, then setting up a scholarship for exceptional pupils to pursue middle school and later establishing a school in every village of the district. Finally, he funded the First and Only Regional High School, located at Maurusipur, in 1921. Second, not content with this alone, in his capacity as Zaildar, he initiated a unique and bold step, for the first time ever in the British Ruled India, of making it mandatory for every pupil in the district to attend primary school.
Courage, as a value, got embedded in 1924.

OPTIMISM, if your mind can conceive it & your heart can believe it, know you can achieve it.
“I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated” – K.S. Nur Din (2nd Generation), in 1923, showed this by defying all odds to defeat Sir Syed Mehdi Shah, backed by the British Raj, to become Member Legislative Council (Punjab) from Toba Tek Singh, in 1923 elections, as he was committed to making a difference. “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one makes opportunities of his difficulties” – Abdul Ghafoor Sethi (3rd Generation), father of Nasrin Tariq (4th Generation Founder of Silver Oaks School) was born in Sagri village, about 40 Kms from Pindi, in challenging circumstances. Not educated but determined to make a go of life, he went on to become a very successful businessman, married a doctor, and to ensure that illiteracy is not suffered by the next generations, donated his personal land to set up the First Girls School in Sagri, in 1972, which is now a college.
Optimism, as a virtue, started making an impact on the family since 1923 and has never stopped since.

INTEGRITY, demonstrated by Honesty in our dealings, truthfulness of our words, delivery against commitments, and “doing the right thing”.
While the role of integrity has been a continuous thread across the five generations, it got firmly defined by a specific event. Mian Abdus Sattar (3rd Generation), aged 20, took it upon himself to “physically punish” a house servant for refusing to obey an order and demanding higher wages. K.S. Nur Din, on his return from Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), found the servant distraught but would not speak. Mian Abdus Sattar volunteered to narrate the event and also showed remorse for his actions. On hearing this, K.S. Nur Din gave two responses. He said, “It is shameful to use force on the poor who are helpless and reliant on the good manners of their masters for respect and you must never do so again”. Then he added, “However, you being forthcoming and your self-reflective identification of an error in your personal judgement and behaviour is a virtue that will stand by you for the rest of your life”. Integrity, as a value, got defined in 1931. Mian A. Sattar never forgot this value. He was celebrated for his integrity, honesty and righteousness and was honoured by naming a railway station, “Sattar-Wala”, in 1955.