By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
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.
Overlooking Ganga, Jama Masjid in Moradabad is an impressive structure. It was built by Rustam Khan in 1631 predating by few years the golden era of Mughal architecture which saw the construction of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Red Fort complex, and Taj Mahal.
Jama Masjid of Moradabad. [TCN Photo]
Moradabad’s Jama Masjid has been extended to accommodate the growing Muslim population. Just a few steps from the Masjid, in the bylanes of Warsi Nagar is Kazmi School. Warsi Nagar is a poor neighbourhood of Moradabad inhabited by workers who are mostly employed in the brass industry. Established in 1980, Kazmi School is one of the few school serving poor Muslims of the area. Cramped in closed quarters, four different classes share the same floor, separated only by a barriers made of tin sheets. In this noisy environment children are learning to dream big.
They want to become doctors, teachers and some even police officers and this dream has not been killed as they journeyed from class I to class VII. Like many other minorities school, Kazmi Junior High unable to extend beyond class eight. They are unable to meet space and resource requirements for becoming a full high school. “This becomes a problem for Muslim girls since their parents are reluctant to send them outside the locality for education,” informed Principal of the school Adeeb Fatma.
Many children come from families with parents who cannot read or write. This requires additional attention by the school for extra coaching and constant monitoring to help weak students avoid dropping out of the school system.
While the vast courtyard and huge building structure of the Jama Masjid stand mostly unused except for the five prayers, there are hundreds of little children studying in dark and noisy environment that resembles a sweat shop more than a school. In it are some questions for the Muslims- How many mosques do we need and how many schools are required in our neighbourhood? What requires our immediate attention? Does it have to be an either or situation?
Slideshow of Kazmi School