Established with the ambition to improve the state of the Muslim community through education based on Islamic culture, the Al-Huda Islamic International School today runs as the only government recognised English medium Islamic school in Rajasthan
AMuslim is obliged to offer a conducive environment to their children for their Islamic upbringing and that is possible only through an Islamic school and a home with Islamic etiquettes and manners. The school believes that there is a dichotomy that exists between religious and worldly academic education in the current scenario and strives to bridge this gap through quality English-medium academic education in a secure Islamic environment. It was with this ethos and such beliefs that led to the establishment of the Al-Huda Islamic International School in 2004.
The school began a decade ago as Nusrathul Masakeen Educational Committee but was later changed to Nusrathul Masakeen Trust in 2006 and then to Sivagangai Nusrathul Masakean Educational and Research Society in the year 2009. At the outset, the committee helped and supported the Muslims by donating for the marriage of poor girls, funding their education and partly taking care of the medical treatment of the poor. It was in 2006 that saw the establishment of a Nursery and Primary School that currently provides education from L.K.G to standard VIII. The ambition of the school is to take this institution to the college level.
The school has 14 trained graduate teachers, four pre-primary teachers, three primary teachers, one teacher for physical education, one yoga trainer, two teachers for Hindi, and three part- time staff for Arabic. Admission to the school costs a modest `100 and the student intake has also increased with each passing year. There is also a provision to obtain scholarships from the trust.
Arresting the Dropout
- Providing low-cost education and free education for people below poverty line
- Counselling to explain the importance of education, especially to villagers
- Motivating girls to set goals and achieve them
- Helping students in getting scholarships from the central government
The Challenges
Things may seem settled now but the journey so far has been ridden with a lot of operational struggles. Not only has the school management struggled to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government for attaining the status of a minority institute, it is still facing serious challenges in getting affiliation from the Central Board for Secondary Education.
Even if one looks at the issue of minority education and the institutes that are set up with this objective in mind, there are issues that need to be addressed. There are several minority institutions who do not follow their goals and aims and there is lack of implementation in terms of what they set out to do. While there are examples where the ideas and efforts of minority institutions have been implemented and have been successful, there are also an ample number of cases where there have not been any follow-ups even after the ideas have been implemented.
Looking Ahead
Despite the struggle and the challenges, the institute has managed to attract the best talent available and also provides career counselling for its students. The school has faith that it will progress as a major institute that can make a difference. In the future times, the institute wishes to attach more importance to the education of minorities, especially Muslim women, in order to create awareness about life and explain how they can dispense their duties in a more fruitful manner if they are educated.
