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‘If you can’t pay the payment, you can’t sit for the examination.’
Having heard these phrases in school 7, Mamoon Akhtar carried the ache of being shunned however determined to do one thing about it.
The boy who was as soon as turned away used that have to show his life round.
Right this moment, 48-year-old Mamoon is the founding father of a franchise of 4 colleges in West Bengal with over 6,000 college students at the moment enrolled in them. “My faculty has no place for faith. It seems to be past your creed,” Mamoon says who named the establishment — Samaritan Mission Faculty.
‘I grew up early in life’
Born in Tikiapara, a district in West Bengal’s Howrah, Mamoon loved going to high school and was a reasonably good pupil as properly. Despite the fact that he dropped out, he was not one to surrender, he continued to check with the assistance of a tuition instructor and appeared for his class 10 and 12 examinations as a personal candidate.
Right this moment, his English-medium colleges boast of teaching over 6,500 kids from nursery onward. All that is being completed by a military of just about 250 extremely devoted lecturers.
After being requested to depart the varsity, Mamoon, on the exact same day, began taking tuitions for college kids from nursery to Class 1. “I made it my life’s mission to discover a method to offer good high quality English training to college students from underprivileged backgrounds. I didn’t need any little one to undergo the ache I did,” he says.
“I grew up in an space the place the crime fee was very excessive. Drug trafficking and vehicles and their elements being stolen have been a part of that neighbourhood. Usually ladies and youngsters have been additionally concerned on this. Given how abysmal the literacy charges have been it was no shock to see folks become involved in such actions. It at all times bothered me,” he says.
One morning in 1999 when Mamoon was strolling via the streets of Tikiapara he noticed a person who was beating a lady with many bystanders watching.
When Mamoon intervened and tried to assist the girl, the person requested him to remain away and thoughts his personal enterprise. “Nonetheless, I saved that lady who later informed me that she was being compelled into the drug commerce by the person. In that scuffle, I used to be harm as properly. A bit of boy, who turned out to be the son of the girl I saved, informed me later that he needed to check however didn’t have the means. At that second, I informed him to return to my home the subsequent day and guaranteed him that I’d assist him if he needed to check,” he says.
He continues, “The subsequent morning, the little boy promptly confirmed up at my doorstep wanting to check. I handed him a ebook and began educating him. The subsequent day he got here again, this time with three others with him. And the third day he introduced alongside one other two boys. That was how my journey as an educationist started.”
In 2001, with six younger boys wanting to check, Mamoon took up a small house of 300 sqft beside his dwelling in Tikiapara. At the moment, he would cost Rs 5 per little one simply to make sure that the kids and their dad and mom valued the training they have been getting.
Being the change he desired
A dilapidated roof which frequently leaked when it rained and a close-by open drain that doubled as a bathroom the youngsters used — that was how Mamoon began. He focused on imparting good training to the kids.
Mamoon describes himself as being within the ‘proper place on the proper time’ fairly often in life.
“In one more incident that may finest be described as unintended, in 2003, I got here throughout a newspaper clipping concerning the spouse of the then United States Consulate providing assist to organisations within the metropolis. I wrote to her and to my utter shock obtained Rs 10,000 from Lee Alison Sibley (US Consulate’s spouse),” provides Mamoon. This gave him a much-needed push.
That cash was utilised to construct a roof and bogs for the kids. “Together with the donation, she additionally helped in getting an article printed in Asian Age, titled – ‘Service based mostly on want, not creed.’ That instantly helped unfold the message concerning the work I used to be doing and Ramesh Kacholia (a famous philanthropist), based mostly in Mumbai, learn that article and supplied monetary assist,” he says.
With this, Mamoon was capable of repair the doorways and home windows of the lecture rooms and in addition managed to get some furnishings. An affiliation that began in early 2000 continues even at the moment. “Ramesh ji is over 80 years now and continues to assist this trigger. He’s my mentor who has supported and guided me like a father would each step of the best way,” says Mamoon.
Constructing the varsity, step-by-step
With donations coming in from all throughout India, Mamoon was capable of purchase a bigger plot of land the place he constructed the primary faculty. “Whereas earlier the youngsters would sit on the ground and examine, we have been now capable of present them with correct desks and chairs. We launched uniforms and that made every little one really feel so particular,” he fondly recollects.
By 2008 the varsity constructing was made and prepared. They began with enrolling college students for nursery up till class 3. Yearly a brand new class stored getting added on. In 2014, Mamoon took one other huge step to make the varsity greater and higher. “In Tikiapara, there was a vacant plot of land that belonged to the Belilious Belief Property, which was virtually 150 years outdated however was completely overrun by the native goons and drug mafia. With the assistance of your entire group and the Howrah metropolis police we have been capable of get that two-acre plot for us to make use of.”
Eight years later, in 2016, the West Bengal Board recognised the varsity. Including one more feather in its cap, Samaritan Mission Faculty was recognised among the many world’s prime 10 inspirational colleges by a United Kingdom-based analysis organisation in 2022. Celebrating this milestone, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, additionally tweeted her congratulations to Mamoon and the crew.
Sadaf Parveen of sophistication 11 at Samaritan Mission Faculty says, “I’m grateful to be in a faculty that’s so properly recognised. In addition to the common educational studying, I’ve imbibed a lot by being right here. The varsity and lecturers deal with a holistic studying expertise for each pupil. In about two years I might be completed with faculty and whereas on one hand, I can’t watch for that, the considered leaving this faculty makes me unhappy.”
Rafia Ali (27), one of many lecturers at Samaritan Mission Faculty, who has been related to the establishment for over 4 years, says, “Educating was at all times a ardour of mine, I’m grateful that I’ve been capable of pursue that by being part of this establishment.”
He provides, “It isn’t daily that one will get to work with true humanitarians like Mamoon sir.”
Constructing a group
The varsity grew to become a haven for the kids, who typically got here from damaged properties. Among the youngsters have their fathers in jail or their moms concerned in drug peddling or different prison actions. “The one widespread factor with all these kids was their want to vary their future. They needed to check and make one thing of their life. They didn’t wish to dwell the life that their dad and mom have been offering them,” he says.
Together with the varsity, Mamoon has additionally helped construct a major well being centre and a vocational centre, the place greater than 400 ladies are employed. “To assist the ladies earn a livelihood we began the vocational coaching centre. Huge FMCG manufacturers give us common orders, which these ladies fulfil and earn from. This has additionally helped in bringing down the crime fee and home abuse incidents throughout the group,” he says.
Mamoon’s 4 kids—three ladies and one boy—additionally examine in Samaritan Mission faculty. “My solely dream for all the kids is to have the ability to educate all of them and allow them to fly excessive,” he says.
“All of us get simply this one life to dwell, why not make it a significant one? Let’s make it our mission to coach our kids and never simply make them literate,” he concludes.
To know extra and contribute to this trigger, you possibly can click on right here.
(Edited by Yoshita Rao)
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