Swimming against the current is no mean task. But social activist Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan believes that given the determination, nothing is impossible. In a metropolis like Bangalore, where craze for English medium education is overwhelming, he has successfully run a Kannada medium school for Muslims for seven years. To boot he has 250 students, 80 per cent of them Muslims and the number is increasing.

In 1998, when Prof. Khan, who is a known social worker, founded the Salamath Kannada School in a predominantly Muslim locality, people counseled him against Kannada medium. But the teflon-coated Khan was guided by his own views matured over the years by experience of social work among the underprivileged masses rather than the armchair academicians. The school came up in Anandnagar locality of Bangalore and has only grown in strength. With its own spartan building, it has upgraded itself to 7th standard. No fee is charged from the students and those who need transport facilities, can avail of the school van at nominal rates. And the school does not receive government aid.

Last fortnight, Salamath School introduced free midday meals for the kids. And it has got nothing to do with Akshara Dasoha (Midday meals schemes of the Karnataka Government for the Government schools).

Most Muslims in Karnataka speak Urdu except those in pockets such as Belgaum, Bijapur and South Kanara districts. But the well-off sections in towns and cities have taken to English medium of education as Urdu medium has gradually fallen from favour due to its market irrelevance. Those without means in town and villages still depend on Government Urdu medium schools where children practically remain illiterate. Kannada medium has not found favour with Muslims because the parents fear that they would not be able to guide their wards.

Prof. Khan says, the initial resistance among illiterate and poor Muslim parents petered off as they found that the teachers were pert and hardworking, coaching serious, and school spick and span. Khan is not wrong. Even a casual visitor would find even the toilets squeaky clean in the premises.
Khan says 90 per cent of Muslim children come from homes where the head of the family is illiterate. Fathers are mostly carpenters, tailors, masons, coolies and labourers and are addicted to bottle and gambling. Khan took up the welfare work among the downtrodden people of R. T. Nagar and Ganganagar localities in Bangalore two decades ago looking at the pathetic plight of the community under the Khwaja Gharib-un-Nawaz Welfare Centre, providing vocational training to widows, deserted and divorced women. His house hums with activity all through the day. The Society owns a 10-acre orchard near Devanahalli and its proceeds are channeled to fund the school and the training programme for women. The school itself entails expenses to the tune of Rs. 60,000 a month while the newly introduced midday meals scheme would cost another 15 to 20 thousand rupees. He says the midday meals scheme was thought of when some teachers noticed that some children carried stale food in their tiffin boxes. Others who did not bring food, used to faint while studying.

Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan’s Salamath Kannada School has been a hit with poor Muslim parents in Bangalore. Teachers are pert and school is spick and span. Last month it introduced free midday meals scheme, all with the help of self-generated resources.

With the school switching over to English medium from the 7th standard onward, Khan expects the children to have a bright future where they could integrate with the life and development of the state in a more meaningful manner.

More information can be had from: Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan, Khwaja Gharib-un-Nawaz Welfare Centre, 18, 1st C Main Road, Behind HMT Bhavan, Ganga-nagar, Extension, Bangalore-560032.
Ph. 030-23333217, 23336186, mobile: 98802-01626,
e-mail:ifwukhan@bgl.vsnl.net.in

Community Initiative