DOSTI had a powerful impact throughout Hyderabad after its rollout in 8 primary schools. There was one particular school, Qutub Shah School, that caught the interest of Abdul Malik, DOSTI Coordinator of Hyderabad. Before DOSTI's rollout, the head teacher informed Abdul about all the common issues he had been handling since his time period. One of the most troubling concerns was the low attendance rate of students, especially on Fridays and Mondays. Abdul Malik strategically planned his rollout sessions on those two days to overcome this problem. Within the next week of DOSTI, they witnessed a huge turnout, giving them enough evidence to see that it was working.
Students were very vocal about the exciting activities happening in their school. One of the students was a good friend of Asad Ali, a bright and intelligent student who had to leave studies a few months ago to help his parents earn a livelihood. He was now working at a local shop which was owned by his friend's father. Upon hearing more about DOSTI’s activities, he couldn't control his excitement to be part of it. Asad requested his friend's father to persuade his parents to allow him to study. Abdul Malik and DOSTI teacher, Khadim, went along to get permission to enrol Asad in school once again. When his father seemed unconvinced, Khadim asked him to bring Asad to school just to see the activities and decide for himself.
The next day, Asad's father took him to Qutub Shah School. They attended the storytelling session and saw other kids perform physical activities. In the end, the head teacher convinced his father to enrol him in the school, which personally looked more promising to him than it was before.
The benefits of DOSTI activities in schools have been far-reaching, including both better physical health and academic performance. By promoting physical education in these schools, these organizations are in a prime position to help students establish life-long healthy behaviour patterns and boost their success in education.