A year after being exonerated by the Supreme Court in the 2002 Akshardham terror attack case, Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri opened a school in Kalupur in 2016
With a whopping 425 students in just two years, Akshardham terror attack case acquit, who had started a school, with a unique model that provides Madrasa with modern education, is running from pillar to post, to get them accommodated in a bigger campus.
A year after being exonerated by the Supreme Court in the 2002 Akshardham terror attack case, Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri opened a school in Kalupur in 2016. Suffah English school, located in Karoda's pol in Panchpatti, until now was being run in an eight-room building belonging to a nearby mosque; however, due to an increase in the number of students and number of parents who visit the school often, the management is facing difficulty operating there.
Putting students, their parents and residents of the locality in inconvenience, the school approached Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) last year, requesting them to allot one of their schools located in Bakar Ali ni Pol and shut since Gujarat riots. However, while the communication between the AMC and the Jamiyat Welfare Foundation Trust went on for quite some time, there has not been any decision on the case.
Speaking with DNA, Mansuri said, "We had started the school two years ago and had taken a premise, located in a residential premise on lease for two years with 185 children. Today, we have 425 children but are unable to admit new children due to space problem. The present building belongs to a masjid nearby. The lane to enter the school is too narrow to accommodate the increasing number of students. There are many AMC schools that are shut for years. All we are asking is for education purposes. The premise that we have requested for is in a bad shape today. It was an Urdu medium school which has been shut for many years now.
"We have submitted all our documents, including our accounts, number of teachers, students, statement, registered number, etc., to AMC and have assured them that we will undertake the renovation of the building too. We are in a fix now and we are unable to take new admissions."
Lagdhir Desai, AMC School Board Administrator, said, "The school belongs to the board and we will not give it to any private school. We will use it for any other purpose, maybe to display science models prepared by school kids, but certainly wont give it to anyone."
Mansuri noted, "When I was in jail, just a few months before I was released, I was fortunate enough to read the Sachar committee report and it was then I realised that Muslims even today face a lot of issues and have remained backward whereas the entire country has moved ahead. It was then the idea to start a school, that not only focuses on modern education but also strikes a right kind of balance in teaching our culture."
"Today's parents not only want religious values to be taught but also want good education. Our school is an attempt to address the demand. In the name of education, history is being recreated in textbooks and curriculum. Thus, it is a mix of both education and Madrasa."
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 "Suffah English School")
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