By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwocCircles.net
Doda (J&K): An anonymous donor has agreed to donate money for a well-equipped science laboratory for “Iqbal Memorial School” run by Umar Iqbal in Bhabore village of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, a week after TwoCircles.net featured Umar’s inspiring story in its TCN Positive series.
While thanking TwoCircles.net, Umar said, “After reading TwoCircles.net story on me and my school, a lady doctor contacted me and appreciated my efforts and donated Rs 40,000 for starting the science laboratory for the kids so that they can stimulate their interest in sciences.She has pledged to support this lab continuously till it becomes full-fledged and equipped with all the essential tools.”
Umar Iqbal, a resident of Bhabore Village in Doda district, lost his father at the age of 7 and at the age of 14, he moved to a Srinagar orphanage where he studied for seven years and graduated from Amar Singh College, Srinagar.
His father Mohd Iqbal Bhat was a school teacher who was shot dead by Army in 1996.To continue his father’s mission of educating the village kids, In 2011, he decided to dedicate himself for establishing a school which could impart quality education to the poor villagers at a minimal cost. One of his uncles donated him a building and he started the enrollment process the very same year by getting it registered in the education department of the state government.
The school is more like a model school in the village having facilities on par with any other school in cities. A big library with more than 1,000 books keep the students busy in their spare time. The school is also equipped with a computer lab with four computers and has internet connections to introduce the children to the outside world. The students are also taught via smart classes through the use of projectors.
The school not only teaches the children but also holds regular sessions for village residents so as to emphasize the necessity of educating the children.
Umar is now working hard to upgrade his school up to tenth standard so that the village children’s don’t have to migrate to cities for higher education or drop their plans to pursue further education altogether due to the costs involved in the cities. He is also looking for generous supporters, who can donate computers and infrastructure for his school.
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