A Year-long Series on Education, Sponsored by The Aligarh Forum : – A Mirror on our Efforts, our Successes & our Shortcomings ; Stories of triumphs, tribulations and struggles of the Indian Muslims in improving their educational status, in illiteracy alleviation, and in their professional and social uplift.
By Salman Sultan, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Heavy traffic on the busy road of Jogeshwari, Bombay, does not hold the promise of chancing upon a much needed monument for building a strong nation. Leaving the road, I am driven to a new building adjacent to the slums. This building will now house Mariyam Public English High School managed by Al-Ilm Educational Welfare Trust, Aradhna Cooperative Ltd., New Link Road, Behram Bagh, Jogeshwari, Bombay.
The moving spirit behind the idea of providing education to the not-so-privileged is Syed Anwar Ahmad, Vice Chairman of the trust. He along with Maulana Riaz Khan thought of an English medium primary school, with provision for ‘Diniyat’ teaching, after the communal riots (a blot on our traditional ‘Unity in diversity’ culture) of 1992.
Syed Anwar Ahmad in office
The school presently up to X Class runs in a rented building with around 1100 students. As compared to other English medium schools, fee of Rs. 250-300 without donation is nominal. Even this small amount in quite a few cases is not paid and remains an arrear but our focus is on imparting education to the underprivileged, says Anwar Ahmad. “We mainly cater to Muslim minority but the school has a substantial number of non-Muslim students who are not obliged to attend ‘Diniyat’ classes. Affiliated to SSC Maharashtra Board, the primary section of the school is private while 5th to 10th is grant-in-aid but without financial assistance as the board excludes English Medium Schools from its allotted expenditure on education. The result remains 100% with several of its students excelling in board examinations. We don’t compromise on the quality of education and therefore, have well qualified lady teachers who are given timely incentives by way of encouragement.”
New building in the midst of slums
Mariyam Public English High School struggled initially with the callous attitude of slum dwellers but respect for the school grew with passing out of children of the same slum dwellers. Syed Anwar Ahmad has the ambition of taking up this much needed School to the College level, at least up to intermediate.