| Haji Public School | |
|---|---|
 Haji Public School, 2016 | |
| Location | |
, 182201 | |
| Coordinates | 33°11′23.2794″N 75°42′31.3194″E / 33.189799833°N 75.708699833°E |
| Information | |
| School type | Voluntary |
| Motto | Terras Irradient (Let Them Illumine the Earth) |
| Established | 4 May 2009 |
| Founder | Mr Nasir Haji |
| School board | Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education |
| School district | Doda |
| Category | School |
| Principal | Tasneem Akhtar Malik |
| Headmistress | Rahida Attu |
| Teaching staff | 20 |
| Gender | Co-education |
| Enrolment | 419 (2022) |
| Language | English |
| Hours in school day | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Campus type | Rural |
| Houses | GONDOR, Moria, Rivendell, Rohan |
| Color(s) | |
| Sports | Basketball, Cricket, Badminton, Football, Table Tennis, Wall Climbing |
| Motto | Terras Irradient - Let Them Illumine the Earth |
| Mission | "To make education accessible to the inaccessible" |
| Focus | "To provide good quality education in the village." |
| Last updated: 28 December 2016 | |
Haji Public School is a not-for-profit progressive school started in 2009 by the Haji family in their ancestral village Breswana,[1][2] in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir in Northern India. It specifically caters to low income farming families which make up the most of the local populace. The school is a registered K-10 institute, affiliated with JKBOSE. The school serves children from over 30 mountain villages, and operates on a low cost, high academic standard formula. The school is privately funded by the Haji family, friends and online donations. [3][4]
History
In 2008, Sabbah Haji moved back from Bengaluru to her native village Breswana.[5] There, she saw that nearly two generations of villagers had no education, due to inaction by governments and militancy. At over 7,500 feet, with no motor access to the rest of the state, this mountain region's education had languished in the past few decades. Although government schools did exist in the area, Sabbah dismissed them as hopeless and inefficient, lacking faculties, teachers and turning out 'degree students who could not read'. Her family wanted to provide these children with an education that would allow them to compete on equal grounds with the rest of the world. And thus, the Haji Public School was born in 2009.[4][6][7]
The school was built on land donated by her family and was initially set up under the 'Haji Amina Charity Trust' in Doda, founded by Mr Nasir Haji. It now functions under the 'Haji Education Foundation', a separate organization set up in 2011 specifically to promote education in the region. The Haji Education Foundation trustees are Mohd Saleem Haji, Tasneem Haji, and Sabbah Haji. The Trust is also funded by donations from various members of the family and friends.
Since it started on 4 May 2009, the Haji Public School has just one objective – "to impart knowledge to those children who cannot avail of the academic facilities being provided to others, in more accessible cities". The village inhabitants wrote a petition which allowed the Haji family to start a school, helped build the school, and brought up materials on their backs. Over the winter of 2008, Sabbah Haji and her mother, Tasneem Haji, trained two boys from the village in order to turn them into teachers. With no building initially, they worked out of two rooms in their ancestral house. They started at the ground level, teaching only the lower and upper kindergarten students. The first class at the Haji Public School comprised 25 kids.[8]
The school has its own building and it is growing every year. As of December 2016, the school has over 350 students.[8] The school has expanded its branches further in nearest villages such as Persholla and Shadiwan.[5][6][9]
Location
Haji Public School is located in the village Breswana, of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir.[8]
Volunteers
Due to lack of qualified teachers in and around the village, the proper volunteer program was started in year 2012.[8] Apart from the few regular teaching staff, the school relies heavily on the volunteers coming in from all around the world.[8] The local staff members are capable of teaching until the second grade only.[8] The school has over 20 teaching staff members, including full-time local teachers as well as long term Indian and international teaching volunteers. The volunteers, who live among the villagers, teach for a period of three months. They are not paid, but they are provided with food and lodging. Till December 2016, Haji Public School has had over 62 teaching volunteers from Canada, Singapore, the US, South Africa, France and India. Several of them have returned for multiple long-term stints with Haji Public School.[5][6][10][11]
Facilities and fees
The campus includes a basketball court, computer lab, library, playground, and wall climbing area.[8] The school charges a monthly tuition. Its books and paper supplies are funded by the Amin Trust.[4]
Social media
Sabbah Haji uses her own and her family's personal contacts and also actively promotes her school on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and blogs/school websites to attract volunteers and donations.[8] She used social media to raise awareness of the existence of her school by sharing pictures and videos, which led to an influx of volunteers and even necessary equipment from across the world.[8] Sabbah Haji represents the school outside, on social media and at various conferences. At CONVERGE 2016, YKA's flagship event, Haji shared her story through a series of photos.
References
- ↑ "Rural Rockstars: Haji's Haji Public School is one their major achievements".
- ↑ "How JK Rowling's tweet has put a school in Jammu & Kashmir in spotlight". The Economic Times.
- ↑ "WATCH: Adorable Kids From Remote Indian Village Sing Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep'". The Huffington Post. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 Upadhyay, Tarun (16 May 2012). "You paved the way, believe it". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 "How One School Is Bringing World Class Education to 320 Children in Remote Jammu & Kashmir - The Better India". The Better India. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 "A young lady's teaching mission in Jammu". Sify. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ "Sabah Haji". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Chakrabarty, Roshni (15 December 2017). "Haji Public School, the mountain-cut village school that speaks of education red tapes in the stereotypically 'terror-ridden' Kashmir". India Today. India Today. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ↑ "Winners Real Heroes 2013: Honor 24 unknown and unsung heroes of India". www.realheroes.com. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ Joshi, Binoo. "Schooling change". www.theweekendleader.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ↑ "The Samaritan with a suitcase | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2016.