Headline June 15, 2016/ ''' SALUTING ALL GREAT STUDENTS '''

''' SALUTING ALL GREAT STUDENTS '''

KARACHI, SO SADLY IS A FAILED  MEGACITY of the world,  and that from over four decades, in terms of just about every service and amenity.

It is fast sinking into a- A despair of utter hopelessness and helplessness. Never in my life, have I had such a misfortune of seeing so much ugliness, filth and collapse of total civic honours.

Hundreds and thousands of commuters/students travelling on rooftop of buses People who can afford have drawn in their interactions. Disconnected their lives, their electricity, their fervor, their optimism.

Life is just a daily, silly grind of keeping your head above water and your survival instincts sharpened beyond piercing.

It is in this setting that over a decade ago, student Shah Hassan, a Pathan from Balochi Banda in Kohat, KPK Province, came to Karachi with his elder brother,......with his dreams and hopes and sterling qualities..

He now narrates, thus: 

*MY FATHER   -WAS A DRIVER  while my elder brother was in the army,'' said 24 year old Shah Hassan while speaking about his background.

*One of my father's bosses supported all my education expenses and that is why I think I should repay him by educating more poor children,'' he added.

*Credit Grammar School is now, a glowing ray of hope for students in Baldia Town*.

At his very best a *Great Student*  even now, the 24- year old Shah Hassan, used his entire life's hard earned and penny by penny savings, not to buy a car but use the capital to open a school for the unfortunates of this society.

Spread over 240 sq yards  -a four room school, *THE CREDIT GRAMMAR SCHOOL*  offers free education to children living in Baldia Town, located in Qaim Khani Colony, in Karachi, Pakistan.

''One day I was leaving for my office and I saw some children playing in the streets in the early hours of the day,'' said Hassan. ''I observed that majority of children in Qaim Khani Colony do not go to schools.''

Currently about 70 students are enrolled in the school, and five teachers from the same locality, work there. the classes range from Montessori to class seven.

Not only the students continue to study free of charge but they are also provided uniforms, books, bags and even shoes for free.

''Some parents pay Rs100 or Rs200 as per their case but we do not ask them to pay,'' revealed Hassan, adding that parents of only 20% of students pay the school.

Speaking about the monthly expense of the school, he said that rent of the place, electricity bill, water expense, salaries of teachers, and school material rounds up to Rs 50,000/.

''Our school doesn't have a lot of facilities but we focus on giving attention to and building confidence of the deprived children,'' remarked school's principal Safia Malik, who has been teaching for the last 21 years in different schools run by NGOs.

Meanwhile, montessori teacher Tayyaba Waheed said that the school is one of the kind in Baldia Town and many students are leaving other schools to study here.

Before starting the school, Hassan surveyed this area for about a year and interviewed around 200 families to know the reason why they don't send their children to school.

*Ninety percent of the parents reasoned that they don't have the money to educate their children, while others said that the nearby government schools don't provide good quality education and those that do are located quite far,'' he explained.

To resolve the identified issues, he opened the school on May 27, 2015, with the help of his friends.

I discussed the idea of setting up a free school for children with my teachers, friends and family and got their support throughout,'' he said. The structure of the school was built at a cost of Rs 0.5 million, which Hassan paid from the money he had saved for buying a car for himself.

Sharing his plans for the future, Hassan said that he is preparing to make a board for the school, comprising of friends, which will run the school and contribute to the expenses.

*''I will also approach organizations working for education  [in the city] and plan to start a college and university for the students of Baldia town, he added*.

He also shared that he has rented another 240 yards on the backside of the school and plans to convert it into a playground for the students.

With a respectful salute from the World Students Society:

Pakistan : Merium, Rabo, Dee, Haleema, Saima, Aqsa, Paras, Sorat, Armeen/LUMS, Malala [Nobel Prize], Shahbano, Nina, Eman/LUMS, Sannyia, Sameen, Areesha, Sarah- Tooba- Nayab, Aymah, Nameera.

Pakistan : Hussain, Ali, Ehsan, Hamza, Sannan, Noman, Hammad, Ghazi,

Zaeem Khan, Hazeem Khan, Ahsen/LUMS, Mustafa/LUMS, Ibrahim, Faizan, Hassan, Nahil-

India: Vishnu. UK : Dannyial and Rhym Khan. Bangladesh :Sumaiya Akhter. Malaysia : Abdul Majeed, Umer Farooq, Palestine : Nael Khader. 

Canada: Reza Haider. America : Shahzaib Khan, Salar Khan, Bilal Malik, Jordan.

     

See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and !E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Unity Monument '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless