Pakistan Saeedpur College
Feature by Zain Hiader Shah
The education is a main asset for a nation it also represents a nation’s prosperity globally. According to the international education survey only 58 percent Pakistani people are literate and also mind it that those who are able to write their names only are enlisted in this survey. Socrates once said: “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance” Plato once said: “By education I mean that training in excellence from youth upward”.Since centuries humans have been committed to knowledge and studies but the sad news is still our nation is lacking it specially Sindh and the remote areas of Laar. This real story about struggle of a person for education which has become so rare to hear in 21st century, will remind you what hard times they had to go through to give and receive education.
Mr. Qazi Muhammad Ibrahim Thebo was an educationist and he was also an employee of Government. He lived his whole life in a small village of Saeedpur in Talhar which is 30 kilometers away from Badin and some 75 kilometers from Hyderabad division. In 1947 he went to Karachi to see how the Pakistan flag rise when the Britain left the subcontinent and on that moment the only idea came in his mind was to build a school. The idea of opening a school was originated by his keen interest in the movement of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He didn’t know that one day this school will be a remarkable sign of education in Sindh.
The idea was an initial step for the efforts to success. After his arrival to hometown he built a small hut in Saeedpur village where students could come for the purpose of education. He built some other huts for the accommodation of students who come from far villages then he started school in 1952 and at that time the school sectors were under the local government and authority of providing license was also under them.
The District Council Badin after some years started to construct the building for Pakistan High School. Mr. Abu Nisar the commissioner of Hyderabad Division inaugurated it and later this school became the master institute which was known as an institute beyond than par excellence. The sons of rich feudalists and the sons of poor farmers were getting education from this institute with the equal dignity and the fact is that now some of them are retired bureaucrats and others are scholars, Poets and above all every senior student is very literate and fond of knowledge. In the process of my assignment I met the most senior student of this college and while having conversation with him I came to know that in the beginning period the primary focus of school teachers was to grow the moral and ethical values in students and administration of that time was strict. Also, the teaching faculty was completely dedicated to the students.
Mr. Ibrahim Thebo was one man army and his efforts were selfless. He collected funds for the poor students and helped them in getting proper education. From 1950 to 1975 he was the caretaker of school and also his son Mr. Yaqoub Thebo served as an assistant headmaster for two decades.
In 1971 the college came into being. The student union was formed afterwards and the administration was in serious conflicts with the students. They faced some serious clashes which disrupted the peaceful environment of Saeedpur College. Government’s lack of interest in development of school has completely destroyed the study criteria of college. Unfortunately, this institute could not continue with their perfect policies like other old Schools had done. In 2010 the Government wanted to shut down the institute but after all the massive crises,
Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq held a meeting and decided not to shut down and continue it to give it the same shape as of 1960s’ but the state failed in their decision. They were not even able to restore the boarding. The school was in good shape since it was in the hands of local Government. The look after was easy but now it goes through a long process which takes a lot of time. The teaching faculty has to go through the pro-long procedure of sending application and then wait for the reply of state. It takes a lot of time in releasing funds but since long time the college hasn’t got any answer or funds by administration of Sindh.
In my visit to the college the unsatisfactory feeling aroused in me after I had conversation with the senior lecturer Mr. Shabbir Memon who is serving the College since seven years. According to him the institute is lacking some serious facilitations. There is a major problem of pick and drop for students and teachers since Government hasn’t provided any vehicle. There is no filter water machine so students have to drink the unhygienic water. There were only few materials in laboratory but the library was filled with a lot of variety of books about literature, Pakistan Studies, Biology, Physics and Chemistry and this gave me a sort of satisfaction. Right now 450 students are registered in Pakistan Saeedpur College and also these 450 innocent students are those who haven’t yet got the basic facilities in school.
The High school building was giving the view of complete destruction and without any renovation. The students of the High School Saeedpur are on higher death risk. There were cracks in the building and according to the senior lecturer the government releases only 1 lac in one year and there had been no any development work occurred after 1963. This is a point which makes every visitor and reader to wonder the nation’s bad governance and the drawbacks of bribe in education sectors.
The education of Sindh is in very serious crises that it has failed to maintain the dignity of phenomenal education sectors. The school is going through a very worst condition now and the problems are very severe the poor and old infrastructure of Saeedpur College and High School is a major problem. According to the lecturer of High School about 350 students are registered in this school and among them 300 students come regularly but the school has no boundary wall. The building was built in 1963 and no renovation in infrastructure had happened in 52 years.
The Pakistan College and High School Saeedpur belongs to very rich educational background. It is also situated in very peaceful environment. It is away from the noise of machines, cars and factories, it is away from pollution it can be the best place for students to study if only government look after and solve this major issues of Saeedpur High School and College. State should provide them enough money so poor students can get at least their primary right of education without putting their life on risk. It also can be the example of the only candle in dark night. It can be the central institute for the villagers nearby Saeedpur because of its location.
The College already covers the very vast region of remote village Rajo Khadani and city of Talhar. This is the only Government College of Badin which is providing co-education environment with excellent teaching faculty compared to the other government sectors of Badin. It can only come back in its real shape by getting the possible help from government. I dream to see this master institute in its past shape of excellence in 21st century.
“To facilitate one poor man is like you serve the mankind”
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