MUMBAI: The occasion was the silver jubilee function of Noor Mehr Charitable Trust and its Jamia Tajwidul Quran and Noor Meher Urdu High School at Malvani in Malad West on Tuesday. Twenty-five alumni, old boys who have passed from this institution in the last 25 years, came together to celebrate the silver jubilee. And each one briefly spoke about his journey.Products of a unique system of education where students complete the hafiz course (memorization of the entire Quran) and also clear SSC or 10th Board exams almost simultaneously, these alumni are now well settled in life or are pursuing higher education.A brain child of businessman Syed Ali Hussain, affectionately called Ali Bhai, this blending of religious and secular education, is empowering hundreds of students from impoverished backgrounds. And this model is being replicated elsewhere too.Every year, a batch of hafizs sit for the SSC exams and, after clearing SSC exams, enter institutions of higher learning or join professional courses. These students are tutored at the same place but by a different set of teachers. Maulvis for the hafiz course and trained teachers to teach the modern subjects like Maths, English and Science. Almost all students are from very poor backgrounds.“I felt the need for such an institution because I feel that there should be no barriers between deen (religion) and duniya (world). Every child has a right to education. Since the government cannot provide such facilities as it is mandated to give only secular education or help the madrassa, I decided to establish an institution where students can be given both kinds of education,” said Ali Bhai. Several dignitaries who attended the event shared their thoughts and lauded the efforts of Ali Bhai and his team.“I congratulate Ali Bhai and his better half for their dedication to educate poor children. Quran carries words of wisdom and here they educated children who are not just hafizs but also qualified enough to pursue further education through which they can improve their employability,” said former IAS Zafar Iqbal who also stressed the need to read Quran with its meaning and understand the message of its verses. Sons of daily wagers, rickshaw and taxi drivers, tailors and factory workers, some of the alumni are now engineers, medical professionals, professors and pharmacists. They now stand on their feet and earn enough to support their families. Many are in the path of prosperity.Thanks to the sincerity and selfless efforts of one man–Syed Ali Hussain.
