Nargis is the first student in Chhattisgarh to pass the Class 10 board exam at her age and achieve a remarkable feat.
Nargis Khan, a student of Class VII with Chhattisgarh CM Bhupendra Baghel | express
Raipur:
Nargis Khan, a 12-year-old Class 7 student appeared for the Class 10 Board exam and passed with 90.5 per cent marks. The daughter of a small farmer and resident of Ghumka village in Balod district, Nargis is an exceptional student and has been a topper in her class.
A student of the Chhattisgarh government Atmanand English medium school, Nargis has excellent mathematical skills and a strong command of the English language, said her father Firoz Khan.
Khan had, last year visited several offices, including of the Governor, chief minister and the district collector seeking approval to allow her to appear for Class 10 exams this year. Impressed with her confidence and potential, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had asked the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) to take an expedient decision for Nargis’ education prospects.
The CGBSE allowed her to appear in the Class 10 board exam on the basis of her outstanding academic performance, medical reports and high intelligence quotient (IQ) level test score, which was conducted by the district government hospital and the clinical psychology department of the composite regional centre of social justice and empowerment ministry, said Prof V K Goyal, secretary CGBSE.
A student needs to be of 15 years age to appear in class 10 board exams, according to the rule. Nargis is the first student in Chhattisgarh to pass the Class 10 board exam at her age and achieve a remarkable feat. Meanwhile, Nargis is not satisfied with the result and has applied for a re-evaluation.
“Till class 6, she always topped securing 99 per cent. With her zeal and high diligence towards study, we even had to sometimes ask her to take a break”, her father told this newspaper.
Along with Class 10, she also appeared for the Class 7 exam this year and secured 91 per cent marks. “My dream is to clear the UPSC exam and serve the country”, she said.
The Chhattisgarh CM, appreciating her extraordinary talent and accomplishment, assured her of facilitating free coaching for the competitive exams in the future.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Ejaz Kaiser, Express News Service / May 22nd, 2023
“I appeal to the youth of this country that they sit at the feet of this goddess (Nishat un Nisa Begum) to learn the lessons of independence and perseverance.” Famous Indian writer Brij Narayan Chakbast wrote this in 1918 about the freedom fighter Nishat un Nisa Begum.
People knew more about her husband Maulana Hasrat Mohani, who coined the slogan Inquilab Zindabad (Long live revolution). Historians have kept Nishat, like many other women, at the margins of historical narratives. She existed not as a protagonist but as a supporting actor in a play that had her husband as the protagonist.
This happened even though Hasrat admitted that he would have remained an apolitical editor if he had not married her. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad likened her to “a mountain of determination and patience.” Mahatma Gandhi also acknowledged a key role in the Non-Cooperation Movement. By no stretch of the imagination, she was a dependent woman and owed her existence to Hasrat.
Born in Lucknow in 1885, Nishat was home tutored, as was the custom of those times. She knew Urdu, Arabic, Persian, and English. Even before she married Hasrat in 1901 was teaching girls from backward sections of the society at her home. Marriage exposed her to the world of politics. Nishat and Hasrat were among the first Muslims in India to join Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s extremist group of Congress and open a Swadeshi shop in Aligarh. In 1903, the couple started a nationalist Urdu newspaper ‘Urdu e Mualla’. The British did not like it and jailed Hasrat in 1908. After his release, the couple resumed the newspaper. The newspaper had only two employees – Nishat and Hasrat.
Hasrat was again jailed during the First World War. Nishat, who like other Muslim women of her times, used to take a veil, came out in public to defend her husband in the court trial. She wrote letters to leaders, and articles in newspapers, and removed her veil while visiting courts. To go out of one’s house without a purdah was a courageous act.
Hasrat’s friend Pandit Kishan Parshad Kaul wrote, “She (Nishat) took this courageous step at a time when the veil was a symbol of dignity not only among Muslim women but among Hindu women as well”.
In those times Congress and other organizations used to raise public funds to help the families of jailed freedom fighters. Nishat declined to accept her share from it. Pandit Kishan Parshad recalled later that in 1917 when he once visited her in Aligarh he saw her living in abject poverty. Being a friend of Hasrat, he offered her money. Nishat told him, “I am happy with whatever I have”. She later asked him if he could help her in selling the Urdu books printed by their defunct press.
Kishan Parshad told Shiv Prasad Gupta, another prominent freedom fighter from Lucknow about Nishat’s condition. Gupta didn’t take a moment to write a cheque to purchase all the books from Nishat.
When Edwin Montagu visited India in 1917, Nishat was among the representatives of the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) to meet him. In the meeting, she demanded that all the freedom fighters be released from jail.
Nishat had abandoned the purdah for good. In 1919, she attended the Amritsar Congress session after the Jallianwala Massacre and impressed everyone with her passionate speeches. A Muslim woman, without purdah and participating in politics at par with her husband, she was noticed as a “comrade of Hasrat.”
Nishat and Hasrat were sure that asking for concessions from the British was futile. They moved a resolution for Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) and not a dominion status at the Ahmedabad session of Congress in 1921 as the party’s goal. Nishat spoke in support of the motion. The resolution was defeated as Mahatma Gandhi opposed the idea. Eight years later, Congress adopted the Purna Swaraj as its goal.
Hasrat was again jailed in 1922 and this time Nishat attended the Congress Session at Gaya without him. She eloquently opposed the participation of Congress members in the Legislative Councils. She said those who wanted complete independence from British rule could not dream of entering the assemblies formed by them.
According to Prof. Abida Samiuddin, Nishat’s politics did not depend on Hasrat alone. She was the first Muslim woman to address a Congress Session. Her work for the popularisation of Swadeshi, the All India Women Conference, correspondences with the nationalist leaders, articles in newspapers, public speeches, and other political activities are proof that she carried her identity in the Indian Freedom Struggle. She was active in workers’ movements till her death in 1937.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Saquib Salim / May 14th, 2023
When I met Shabnam and her elder sister Nafisa after a flight of 37 steps of a half-built high-rise building on the Nuh-Tawadu road, I couldn’t gauge the high spirits of these two women, their nine sisters, and late father Niyaz Khan in our brief meeting.
Niyaz Khan, a former revenue officer in the Punjab Waqf Board, has left this world, but he is remembered for bringing about the change in the mindset of Muslims in Nuh through his act of giving a good education to all his 11 daughters.
Not only he educated his daughters but 8 of them became teachers and are carrying on the mission of spreading education in one of the most backward areas of India.
In a conversation with Awaz-The Voice, Shabnam says, “I and my sisters who are teachers make efforts to ensure that girl students in our respective schools do not give up on their studies midway and drop out of school. We also make extra efforts to see that besides retaining the numbers, more girls are enrolled in the school.”
Shabnam says that to retain girl students they call the parents of students to school to make them aware of the importance of education.
Shabnam, who worked in an NGO for a long time before joining the government school, says, “Due to my experience with an NGO, I face lesser difficulties in this job (retaining girl students in school) in comparison to other sisters. My experience of working on child education in an NGO is helping me.”
She says that increasing the number of students helps in upgrading schools. Shabnam is now TGT i.e. Trained Graduate Teacher in Rithoda vuillage. The primary school where she worked earlier has since been converted into a middle school.
Shabnam and Nafisa
Shabnam’s elder sister Nafisa says that many parents come to consult her and all her teacher-siblings. They ask them how to ensure a good future for their daughters. “Many times strangers stop them at the bus stand for paying compliments and telling us that they want their daughters to be like us.”
Nuh remains one of the most backward districts of Haryana, where women are struggling to rise amidst diehard patriarchy, old-fashioned thoughts, rampant illiteracy, and a lack of basic facilities. The dropout rate of girl students is the highest in the state.
Although there are many schools and colleges in Nuh, it has no university and women must go outside for higher education.
Asif Ali Chandaini, General Secretary of Mewat Vikas Manch, says, about 70 to 80 percent of the population of the district survives by doing petty and menial jobs. In such a situation, parents have financial constrains, and safety of daughters as issues in their minds while deciding on educating their daughters. In the end they prefer to keep their girls at home.
Defying such conservative traditions in the decade of nineties, Niyaz Khan decided to send his daughters for higher education.
Nafisa, the eldest of the sisters, who spoke with Awaz-the voice said their father had a transferable job. As long as the family was living outside Mewat, he did not face any problems in educating his daughters. However, after he met with an accident, took voluntary retirement and shifted permanently to Nuh in 1993, he faced stiff opposition to sending his daughters to colleges and universities.
Her father was a resident of Chandaini village, about four kilometers from Nuh. The people there are progressive and clear about the aware of education.
Praising her father and grandfather, Shabnam says, “Both were very great people. Dada (paternal grandfather) never stopped us from going to college and school. In the nineties, when the environment was worse than what you see today, he not only continued to give higher education to his daughters but also sent them out of Nuh for studies.”
Shabnam has also studied law; her husband is a practicing advocate in Sohna.
Despite the regressive environment around them, Niyaz Khan’s eight daughters became teachers. They are employed in government schools. Shabnam says teaching was their choice.
Shabnam has five children. One of her daughters has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Banaras. Her other children are also into masters and other higher education courses.
Nafisa’s elder son is pursuing a Ph.D. in Physics.
Shabnam and Nafisa say that they care least about others’ opinions when it comes to their children’s education. “Our children are moving forward by choosing their careers. We are only supporting them,” they said almost in unison.
According to Nafisa, the children of the younger sisters are also pursuing education at different levels.
She tells that things are changing for Mewati Muslims on the education of girls. However, the change is quite slow.
Nafisa says that there is a trend of girls dropping out after fifth or eighth standard and being sitting at home.
Many parents prefer to send their daughters to Maktab, local Madrasa, instead of sending them to school.
Shabnam’s disciple Mohammad Rafiq, who has done his Ph.D. on the topic of Mewat’s female Sarpanch, says that the picture of Mewat can change if the authorities present these eleven sisters as ‘role models’.
The 11 sisters becoming the face of women’s education and empowerment can bring down the dropout rate significantly. However, both the sisters do not agree on this.
They feel the thrust on women’s education has to begin from their homes of Muslims.”Everything cannot be left to the government; the politicians of Mewat have to show willpower,” Shabnam says.
She said once she invited the local politicians to a meeting of Urdu teachers, but none of them came. She also this was the most discouraging since most of them are her relatives.
Despite this, they do not show any special seriousness towards education.
Niyaz Khans’s daughters:
Nafisa: JBT & B.Ed, Govt Teacher
Shabnam: MA, LLB, JBT, government teacher
Afsana: JBT, MA, B.Ed.
Farhana: JBT, MA, B.Ed. government teacher
Shahnaz: JBT, MA, B.Ed teacher in private school
Ishrat: B.A
Nusrat: Lecturer in JBT, MA, MEd and employed in a Polytechnic
Ana: JBT, MA B.Ed, Govt Teacher
Razia: MBA and working in private sector
Nazia: Diploma in Architecture, works in private sector
Bushra: MA, B.Ed
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Malick Asghar Hashmi / May 04th, 2023
Sibga Yusuf Shaikh, a resident Valpoi town in Goa, has excelled at University by winning the Gold medal in her Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in (Elections & Telecommunication).
Sigba, a student of the Don Bosco college, Maragao, has scored 86.6% and received first rank at the Goa University to bag the Gold medal
She was felicitated on 26 August at the hands of Governor Shridharan Pillai in Goa University campus during the 33rd Annual convocation ceremony.
Speaking with Muslim Mirror Sibga said that it was her father’s dream to see her as a doctor or an engineer.
“I couldn’t get seat in MBBS so I chose to become an engineer and started giving my 100% to studies and Alhamdulillah got excellent results,” she said.
“I used to study 4 to 5 hours daily, going to Margao (about 45 km) to attend college daily was tiresome and time consuming but when we are committed to studies it becomes easier,” she added.
Sibga hails from Valpoi town of Sattari which is located in North Goa district. She is believed to be the first girl from entire Sattari Taluka who received a gold medal at the Goa University in engineering faculty.
Father of Sibga,Yusuf Shaikh, who is transporter felt very proud and said their dream has come true.
Head Master of Unity High school Mr.Ashraf Ali Khan said that he is proud and happy to learn that the ex student of the school has received gold medal for having stood first in B.E. at Goa University.
Ashraf said, “She was indeed a bright student during her school days and performed well in all fields.”
“Sibga was found well disciplined and sincere, established a good rapport with teachers and fellow students. I wish all the very best in her career,” he added.
Sibga was felicitated by SIO recently for her achivement. She is now planning to pursue masters degree abroad.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Positive Story / by Imran Inamdar / September 03rd, 2022
Girls Islamic Organization (GIO), one of the foremost women’s organizations of India, elected its first National President and General Secretary. On the 30th of July 2022, Advocate Sumaiya Roshan (from Karnataka) became the first President of the National Federation of GIO, and Samar Ali (from Kerala) became the General Secretary.
In a significant development, GIO, which earlier worked at the level of state councils, was consolidated and formed into a National Federation. The new dispensation will be headed by a National President and General Secretary and will comprise a Federal Committee having representatives from all GIO states for a term of two years. The Federal Committee meeting was conducted from 29th to 31st July.
Girls Islamic Organization is the girls students organization of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
GIO is a non-profit organization and has been actively engaging on various issues regarding women in general and Muslim women in particular across the country since1984. The organization has a presence in almost every state in India. Over the past few years, GIO at the state level has been working on the overall development of Muslim women and will continue to do so.
At the National level, the objectives of the Federation will be to coordinate interaction and sharing of ideas between the states, and to address and give voice to the prominent issues of National concern. GIO aims to provide space for women to come together, express, and nourish themselves while preparing them to fight the challenges of society. Its scope of work will revolve around the said objectives, not limited to Muslim issues but women issues in general and issues of national importance.
Being part of the largest democracy in the world, every citizen of the country must be provided with equal opportunities to evolve themselves and attain their highest potential. Despite immense efforts and development, women in India continue to face discrimination in all possible manner.
Even after forty years since the Mandal Commission recommendations, there remains gross inequality among the opportunities provided for Other Backward Communities(OBC).
The organization focuses on enabling educational upliftment, progress in socio-political conditions, entrepreneurial advancement, and equal space for the women of marginalized communities. The organization will make conscious efforts to develop a free and open space where anyone can raise their voice and question the injustice faced by them.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Muslim Media Network / August01st, 2022
A few mats and a blackboard make a school on a city lane for 50 kids. This footpath of V Power Gym Street in the Kanakia area of Mira Road in Mumbai attracts the attention of the passers-by but the children remain engrossed in studying and oblivious of the world passing by.
The noise of passing traffic and pedestrians does not affect the privacy of students – mostly children of construction labourers and other daily wage earners – for their minds are focused on what their Yasmeen Madam says.
Yasmin Parvez Khan, a homemaker whose husband is a manager in a global software company, has been trying to provide basic education to children in this makeshift roadside school. She has been setting it up from 3 to 5 pm every day for the past ten years.
She is a volunteer who wants to change the lives of children who can’t afford a regular school for various reasons; she neither runs an NGO nor is affiliated with any government agency.
Gallery of images from Yasmeem’s school
Yasmeen says: “One day I thought of doing something for these poor children. After much deliberation, I realized that no amount of monetary or material help will be of much use to them while education has the potential to change their lives and also impact the future of their families. With this idea, I started teaching two kids and today I have 50 of them.”
Yasmeen’s school is for slum children where they receive basic education and then for formal education, Yasmin Madam takes the children for admission to regular schools. This way Yasmeen plays an important role in initiating these underprivileged children into regular education by invoking their interests in studies and knowledge. “It takes time to get children from very poor families interested in education and getting their parents to understand the importance of education is no less than a harder task.”
Yasmeen says she doesn’t charge a fee but children need many things like notebooks, pencils, books, colours, bags, etc. She has an innovative idea for getting these needs of children fulfilled. Pointing to her blackboard, she says, “Whenever I need something for children, write it on the board and you will be surprised that within a short time, someone delivers it.”
To date, children have never had to wait more than half an hour to get their basic things for studies. She smiles and says that she feels happy to cook for children each Thursday and feed them. After seeing this, many passersby and neighbours have started bringing food and gifts for the children. This makes children very happy and adds to their enthusiasm.
Children enjoying meals cooked by Yasmeen Khan on a Thursday
Yasmeen Madam’s teaching sidewalk has neither walls nor roof, but education is complete. The first child who got his primary education from this footpath and reached school today has reached the 11th standard.
People are often inquisitive about Yasmin Parvez Khan, who wears a Burqa. People stop for a moment when they see a veiled woman teaching children on the sidewalk.
Yasmeen says that initially, even her family was not happy with her decision. “When I explained my point that she has to go to them and teach, they understood.”
She says: “Today, my family including my mother-in-law, father-in-law, husband, and my children support me.” Yasmeen Parvez Khan’s husband is a project manager at Wipro Company.
These days Yasmeen’s school is on Monsoon break. She is looking forward to the end of the monsoon and the resumption of her school.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> India / by Shantaj Khan, Pune / July 26th, 2022
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