Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: As one traverses through the labyrinth lanes in the Walled City of Old Delhi, a nondescript school named Crescent School may easily escape your attention. Situated quite adjacent to the Mughal era mosque called Zinat-ul-Masajid, named after the daughter of Aurangzeb, Zinatun Nisa, the school has many firsts to its credit.
The mosque remained a mute spectator of the ravages of 1857 rebellion. It also stood witness as the Crescent School was conceived.
Crescent School, which is till standard XII and is affiliated to CBSE, is widely claimed to be the first English Medium School established in the Independent India by Muslims, in not only Delhi but entire North India. It is another matter that it was recognised by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) only in 2011.
Crescent School stands on the Waqf land cleared during Emergency. [Photo: TwoCircles.net]
There were off course schools, in fact, good schools at that time as well, like Anglo-Arabic School, Fatehpuri Muslim Senior Secondary School, Shafique Memorial School which used to cater the educational needs of Muslims in Delhi. But all of them were Urdu medium.
There is an interesting anecdote about the school, involving Sanjay Gandhi, who at that point in time was the de facto Prime Minister of the country. The Waqf land, belonging to Zeenat-ul-Masajid, was identified for Crescent School but it was at that time occupied by squatters. The land was cleared of encroachers only after the personal intervention of Sanjay Gandhi.
Interestingly, only after few weeks of the possession of this land by the Crescent Education Society that the Emergency was revoked. The school was established in 1977 by the joint efforts of Syed Hamid, Chaudhry Arif, Shaikh Md. Shafi, Reyaz Umar and Shafi Quraishi. Another branch of Crescent School was established at Maujpur in Trans-Yamuna side of Delhi in late-nineties.
Golden past but sad present
Crescent School, in many ways, was both path-breaker and a trend- setter. The school, which has at present around 900 boys and girls as students in its Daryaganj branch, literally gave Muslim of Delhi, its first generation educated in English medium.
Navaid Hamid, who is a member of the advisory body of the school, says that Crescent school facilitated the English medium education among Muslims, in not only Delhi, but entire North India because, it inspired the community across the country to get English education.
But the sad reality is, that the school which became the “harbinger of change” among Muslims in North India, has become just an ordinary school. The reasons, are many.
“In our times and till, say late nineties, Crescent school used to be one of the best schools of Delhi but the sad reality is that at present, it is another average school,” says Rafi Ahmad Roofi, alumni of the Crescent School.
A Class VI time-table: Students learn Computers, Deeniyat, Music, Quran, Science, and Urdu, among other subjects. [Photo: TwoCircles.net]
Roofi, who is from the first batch (1985) of the Crescent School, says that the school is the “best” school of Old Delhi but he doesn’t want to compare it with schools of only Old Delhi because it belittles its glorious past.
“We couldn’t keep pace with the time and changing education system,” adds Rafi Ahmad who is presently part of the management committee of Crescent school. Ahmad adds that for instance, at present there is not as much emphasis on encouraging creativity, innovation and critical thinking among of the students, as the modern education system requires.
There was a point in time, specially after nineties in the history of Crescent school, where status quo had dominated the way in which management ran the school, says Ahmad, who wears many hats, that of a businessman of jewellery and stone in the Walled City, one among them.
The resistance of the past school management to change is one big reason for the school’s backwardness in ways more than one. Why the past management of the school resisted change, is some thing which Ahmad is unable to understand as he himself confesses.
“Resistance of the management of the school towards change, is one of the prominent reasons behind the present sorry state of the school,” says Ahmad, who also adds that things are going to get better because the present management is working in the direction of making the school the best in every respect.
When it comes to the result of the school, Crescent school has nearly hundred percent passing results. But Rafi Ahmad, who has been following the school since a very long times, is not satisfied with the performance of the school. “To be the best, you have to be at the top,” says Ahmad.
At a time when every school worth a name, has a place on web, Crescent school’s lack of exposure to technology and media stand out quite distinguishable. Crescent School doesn’t have any presence on web at all, let alone having any website or any page on Facebook, which Rafi Ahmad cites as an example of lagging behind the times.
Interestingly Crescent school doesn’t have any systematic list of its alumni, let alone alumni body. Interestingly the thousands of alumni of the school could have become the School’s ambassadors. They could have helped in generating funds and resources for the school, as it happens with other schools.
Financial constraint is another prominent reason behind the present lagging behind of the school and is one of the roadblocks for the school in its way to development of infrastructure and modernization.
For instance a portion of the school is in dilapidated condition and requires urgent renovation. At least 50 lakhs are needed for the work, says Navaid Hamid.
But Rafi Ahmad interestingly adds that if there is a will, money is something, which can be generated. The school management has recently generated around 45 Lakhs and has utilized to build new class rooms and science labs.
New class rooms have been recently added. [Photo: TwoCircles.net]
The present financial condition of the school is not good. At present its being run on a no profit and no loss model. On the name of surplus revenue, the school has just forty eight thousand per annum.
“How do you expect the school to grow and develop its infrastructure on the saving of just four thousand per month,” pleads Navaid Hamid who also adds that it is a very difficult to generate money from the community which, as is famous, can donate for madarsa but not for an English medium school.
Contrary to the past when students from entire city used to come, at present the school caters to mainly Old Delhi Muslim populace. The reasons, are, not only the quality of education of the school decreased and many other English medium schools were established; it’s also that the school can’t afford transportation.
In many ways the challenges facing Crescent school are typically the same reason facing every minority institution in this country. They can’t take government aid because after that they will have to make basic changes in the pattern and will facilitate government interference in the school’s management.
So for a school like Crescent school, it’s a tough challenge, to not just survive but do well and compete with the best schools of the country.
[This report is part of the TCN Series on Education, sponsored by the Aligarh Forum]