Zahira: Academic excellence and a heritage of more than 130 years
View(s):The story of Zahira is something synonymous to the triumph of the human mind over all obstacles. In 1891, M.C. Siddhi Lebbe, one of the driving forces in the development of Muslim revivalism in Ceylon in the late 19th century, made an impassioned appeal to the Muslim community at the Maradana Masjid Hall and urged them to unite and uphold the educational advancement and achievements of the community.
A year later, in 1892, with the patronage of Ahamed Orabi Pasha, the Egyptian exile in Ceylon at that time, together with I.L.M. Abdul Aziz and A.M. Wappitchi Marikar, a long cherished dream of the visionary M.C. Siddhi Lebbe became a reality.
To provide a sound education in the English medium to Muslim children to seek knowledge, with shared visions, spirit and passion, the aforesaid Muslim pioneers in education felt the need for the creation of Al-Madrasathul Zahira which was founded in 1892 with 35 students on roll.
Years later, most importantly, the name Al-Madrasathul Zahira was changed into the present name “Zahira” which means “Excellence” in Arabic.
As one of the oldest schools in the country with a heritage of 130 years, its achievements have been numerous and multidimensional over the decades. Three phases can be attributed to the success of Zahira.
The first phase was the stabilisation process, when Dr. T.B. Jayah assumed the post of Principal in 1921. The school population consisted of only 59 pupils and six teachers at that time. When he took over the Zahira, the conditions of the school were deplorable.
Over the next 27 years, until he retired in 1948, he developed and expanded the school, until it became one of the most prominent schools in the country. The number of students increased.
During Dr. Jayah’s time, eminent and distinguished dignitaries were invited to address the students and the public at Zahira College’s iconic Gaffhoor Hall. A range of Indian Freedom movement leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahathma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu and Rajaji visited Zahira College and delivered orations.
In recognition of his outstanding service, the Sri Lankan Government honoured him with an issue of a postage stamp declaring him a national hero and named a school and a street in Colombo after him.
The second phase was the consolidation process which began during the Senator Azeez’s era from 1948 to 1961. He was the first Muslim civil servant in this country but he selflessly relinquished the prestigious Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) to take over Zahira College in 1948 for the sake of the Muslim community.
During Senator Azeez’s tenure as principal, one of the academically spectacular achievements was more than 150 Zahirians–medicine 26 and engineering 23–entered the University of Ceylon. The Zahirians who entered the University in the late 1950s and early 1960s did not confine themselves only to intellectual pursuits. They equally excelled in sports as well.
For 13 long years, till his premature retirement, Senator A.M.A. Azeez resolutely worked hard and shaped the destiny of Zahira College. His intellectual legacy has stood the test of time. In veneration, he was appointed as a Senator in 1952 and was bestowed with the title of Member of the British Empire (MBE).
Unfortunately, Zahira went through a painful process for a few years. The vesting of Zahira College by the government in 1961 was a traumatic event as the College became just another government school and thereafter Senator A.M.A. Azeez resigned forthwith.
Thereafter Mr. Shafie Marikar reigned as the Principal for 16 years (1967 to 1982), ensuring the continuity and devoted his life to uplifting the educational standard of Zahira. After his retirement, there were over a dozen principals including the late R.I.T. Alles and Prof. Furkhan who effectively managed the administration of the College.
The third phase is the transformation and reaching the pinnacle of progress. Under the charismatic leadership of Mr. M. Fouzul Hameed who took over as Chairman of the Board of Governors in 2006, a well-coordinated and systematically programme to improve infrastructure development and uplift the standards of education, sports and extracurricular activities within the Islamic environment of the College, was methodically executed with commendable success.
Looking back at the long march of 130 years of Zahira College, we are proud that the visions and aspirations of the Founders were not in vain. We have rediscovered an emergence of an educational renaissance at Zahira.
Now we have more than 5500 students studying in all three media with a staff of nearly 300. Academic excellence has been ascending in the past ten years or so. Master Mohammad Ammar attended the grade 5 scholarship examination in Sinhala medium and scored 200 out of 200 at the exam. The GCE O/L pass rate is above 80% with a relatively higher number of nine “A” achievers, while the GCE A/L results are above 70%, with a high number of students gaining university eligibility Z-Score figures.
Over the years the College has excelled in the academic sphere and in co-curricular activities and has produced many intellectuals and prominent personalities who served the community and the country.
The current principal, Mr. Triizvy Marikkar, has taken a keen interest to improve the standard of education at all levels and is striving hard to make Zahira one of the best-ranked schools in the island. It is a welcome sign to see Zahira position herself to take giant strides in the field of education and sports, and once again recreate the pristine glory of the “Golden era” in pursuit of academic excellence.
(A.M.M. Muzammil)
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