By TCN News,
Washington DC: The Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM), a Washington DC based NGO of Indian Muslims living in the US, has offered a grant of Rs. 50,000 for the year 2011 to a school that the group has adopted in the Kopeypur village of Faizabad district in Uttar Pradesh.
This school was functioning in a tin shed house until AIM adopted it in 2009 when Kaleem Kawaja, Treasurer of AIM, visited the school in the UP town adjacent to Ayodhya. The group built a two-story building with 8 classrooms. The school that was named as AMI Junior High School started to function in the new building in 2010. Currently, there are 150 students studying at the school.
The school is operated by local NGO Faiz-e-Aam Muslim Educational Society, Faizabad. The school provides only up to VI Std education but in July 2011 grade VII will be added and in July 2012 grade VIII.
“The society operates a total of 12 schools including one higher secondary school and one girls’ inter college, in different villages of Faizabad district. The schools do charge small tuition fees and raise funds locally. But as local population are largely poor agricultural workers, the schools always run on deficit. The AIM extended its aid to recover it from the deficit and run in better way,” said Kaleem Kawaja.
The society was started about 15 years ago to uplift Muslim community by two dedicated Muslim social workers from Faizabad, namely Mr Irfanullah (an engineer) and Mr Akhtar Siddiqui (a teacher). They built these schools from the scratch. At first all the schools were in tin sheds or under the shades of trees. Gradually the group raised funds and built buildings for some of these schools. Today 5 schools have proper buildings whereas other 7 schools are still running in tin-sheds.