Where and when I grew up, education was non-negotiable. With semi-literate mother (Hajia Fati) and educated old boy (Abdur Rahaim Shaban, the late), you needed to attend school because it was just cool.
School was also not a one-way street within the general scheme of events. You had to pursue the secular and Islamic. Both with the same seriousness. Mind you this meant a weekday of secular and a weekend of Islamic – we barely had time to rest.
It is for this reason that years on after completing Islamic School and being drafted into the teaching staff, I used to appreciate the hustle of the little ones I taught in Class 2. To me they were heroines and heroes who sacrificed their rest to get more education.
Burma Camp as I have previously written about is where I attended my nursery, primary and junior secondary school education. Those were the very carefree days leading on to Aquinas in 2001.
The three-year Cantonments course led to the professional training arena of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) also in a residential area – thrust in there after having failed to enter the University of Ghana.
But all through these three ‘flowing’ levels and even long into the days of work, Hamdaniyya Islamic School was a constant. The events of the week could be uncertain but the weekend looked fixed – I knew I had to be at Islamic School.
We started Islamic education exploits at Anwarud deen (Accra New Town) for some reason we quit and stuck to home schooling with our old boy. But that also became inconsistent and led Hajia Fati to enrol us in Hamdaniyya way back in the 90s.
Fuleira and I in Class 1, Sherif in Kindergarten and Sheriffa in Nursery. The packed and heat-generating class will keep reducing over the years, in the end, I graduated with only one person I met in class one back in the day (Ummu Kulthum Ali).
Of course we were joined by Yusuf Yakub, Mohammed Sani – who was at the time our senior, and Rabiatu Harun. The causes of losing students as we go along vary, the boarding school stood as a key contributor.
I rue how whiles in Class four, Saturday classes messed up continuity in my Makaranta education. We were at the time preparing for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) – school did not force classes on us but we found a monster in BECE and played along.
In the Aquinas days, I stuck to only chemistry classes that were usually on weekdays so my weekends reverted to normal programming – full time Islamic schooling. Same was the case with GIJ.
When once the issue of Saturday assignment came up and I raised concerns vis-à-vis Islamic school, a colleague retorted with amazement, to paraphrase him: Wow, you still attend Islamic school, that’s very admirable, some of us sadly closed that chapter long back.
At the time I had graduated and was teaching. I worked at three different media houses (newspaper, documentary film, online) and through these times I still made enough time to stick to makaranta responsibilities, however, subdued.
Till now, when distance finally made it impossible to make physical commitments. I still live with memories of those fun, tough and dope days when we donned the classic blue and white uniform in search of Islamic knowledge.
Those were days of gratitude and of aptitude. When the staff assembled by Sheikh Yusifu Musah (temporal and permanent) imparted into thousands knowledge of the deen. Those days we made lifelong friends many of whom we lost for different reasons.
Those days we interacted with teachers who yearned for us to be better than they are, teachers who motivated us to also teach and to impart into others. Teachers who till date we look back to and rever for their dedication and unfettered determination.
I seek Allah’s blessings for the past, the present and future of Hamdaniyya. For the good that many before us planted in the hearts of thousands past and present. And for those that we lost over the years, may Allah have mercy on their souls. Ameeen.
School was also not a one-way street within the general scheme of events. You had to pursue the secular and Islamic. Both with the same seriousness. Mind you this meant a weekday of secular and a weekend of Islamic – we barely had time to rest.
It is for this reason that years on after completing Islamic School and being drafted into the teaching staff, I used to appreciate the hustle of the little ones I taught in Class 2. To me they were heroines and heroes who sacrificed their rest to get more education.
Burma Camp as I have previously written about is where I attended my nursery, primary and junior secondary school education. Those were the very carefree days leading on to Aquinas in 2001.
The three-year Cantonments course led to the professional training arena of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) also in a residential area – thrust in there after having failed to enter the University of Ghana.
But all through these three ‘flowing’ levels and even long into the days of work, Hamdaniyya Islamic School was a constant. The events of the week could be uncertain but the weekend looked fixed – I knew I had to be at Islamic School.
We started Islamic education exploits at Anwarud deen (Accra New Town) for some reason we quit and stuck to home schooling with our old boy. But that also became inconsistent and led Hajia Fati to enrol us in Hamdaniyya way back in the 90s.
Fuleira and I in Class 1, Sherif in Kindergarten and Sheriffa in Nursery. The packed and heat-generating class will keep reducing over the years, in the end, I graduated with only one person I met in class one back in the day (Ummu Kulthum Ali).
Of course we were joined by Yusuf Yakub, Mohammed Sani – who was at the time our senior, and Rabiatu Harun. The causes of losing students as we go along vary, the boarding school stood as a key contributor.
I rue how whiles in Class four, Saturday classes messed up continuity in my Makaranta education. We were at the time preparing for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) – school did not force classes on us but we found a monster in BECE and played along.
In the Aquinas days, I stuck to only chemistry classes that were usually on weekdays so my weekends reverted to normal programming – full time Islamic schooling. Same was the case with GIJ.
When once the issue of Saturday assignment came up and I raised concerns vis-à-vis Islamic school, a colleague retorted with amazement, to paraphrase him: Wow, you still attend Islamic school, that’s very admirable, some of us sadly closed that chapter long back.
At the time I had graduated and was teaching. I worked at three different media houses (newspaper, documentary film, online) and through these times I still made enough time to stick to makaranta responsibilities, however, subdued.
Till now, when distance finally made it impossible to make physical commitments. I still live with memories of those fun, tough and dope days when we donned the classic blue and white uniform in search of Islamic knowledge.
Those were days of gratitude and of aptitude. When the staff assembled by Sheikh Yusifu Musah (temporal and permanent) imparted into thousands knowledge of the deen. Those days we made lifelong friends many of whom we lost for different reasons.
Those days we interacted with teachers who yearned for us to be better than they are, teachers who motivated us to also teach and to impart into others. Teachers who till date we look back to and rever for their dedication and unfettered determination.
I seek Allah’s blessings for the past, the present and future of Hamdaniyya. For the good that many before us planted in the hearts of thousands past and present. And for those that we lost over the years, may Allah have mercy on their souls. Ameeen.
Handaniyya's BIG THREE at a point - formidably formless. Great men - may Allah preserve them.
No comments:
Post a Comment