Muslim Higher Secondary School needs immediate attention

Rawalpindi :The historical, Government Muslim Higher Secondary School No. 1, Saidpur Road, needs immediate attention of the authorities concerned to protect its natural beauty in its genuine shape while locals appeal to convert this 92-kanal building to a residential cadet college, Rawalpindi.

Government Higher Secondary School No. 1 was ideal for establishment of a government owned cadet college as people of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are deprived off cadet college in this regard.

It is also feared that if government will not give attention to this historical institution, ‘qabza mafia’ will occupy land of school building very soon. In 1813, ‘Khalsa High School’ now Government Muslim Higher Secondary School was established on 92-kanal land. But, there was only 47-kanal land including two grounds a cricket ground and a hockey ground. There are total 50 rooms including a beautiful hall in this school but numbers of students are less only 345 because majority of parents rely on private schools.

It is worth mentioning here that there are more than 150 trees within jurisdiction of school building including 200 years old ‘Barkat Tree’ which enhances the beauty of this institution. Recently, school management has cut down 12 trees including some branches of ‘Barkat Tree’ however, 370 new saplings have also been planted in the school.

The primary portion of this historical school was dilapidated condition as it was not functional.  Government Higher Secondary School No. 1, Principal Muhammad Yaqoob Janjua told ‘The News’ that they have cut down trees which were quite old and dangerous for humans. “We have planted 370 new trees in school jurisdiction as well,” he claimed. He also admitted that majority of parents are not sending their children to the school. “We started door-to-door campaign to motivate locals to send their children in this school,” he said adding in total we have 45 teachers but only 370 students.

The centenary celebrations of the founding of Government Muslim Higher Secondary School No 1, Saidpur Road were also held in this school in 2014. The principal took the initiative to provide an opportunity to old students of the historic school and invited the old students and teachers to take part in the centennial celebrations and to see the ‘best school of all’. In 1913, this school was upgraded to high school.

The residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to different walks of life have strongly appealed to authorities concerned to convert this historic school to a government owned cadet college as there was no cadet college in Potohar region.

Muhammad Owais Shah, a resident of Mohanpura said that our children have to go to far off areas for admission in government owned cadet colleges. “We are deprived off government owned cadet college”, he said. He said that Muslim School building could be converted into a cadet college as it was bigger than every educational institution in Rawalpindi.

Shaista Wahab, a mother said that she wants to admit her son into cadet college but there was no government owned cadet college in Rawalpindi. Higher authorities should take this matter seriously to establish a government owned cadet college in Rawalpindi, she demanded. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar and Muhammad Hanif Abbasi both gave their assurance for the betterment of the school and meeting the demands for resolving the issues of the school.

It is pertinent to mention that the name of Muslim High School No. 1, was given by its founder principal late Syed Niaz Ahmed Tirmizi, after the partition of Sub-continent in 1947. Earlier its name was Khalsa High School. Since then thousands of students have studied in the school and they all feel proud of the fact that they had been students of this school. The building of the school is a historical one and spread over 92 kanals.