At a time when the whole system of education was in the Swabasha, one gentleman had a dream. His vision was to fulfill the needs of the middle class Muslim boys of Colombo South. From one end of Kollupitiya right up to the Moratuwa Bridge there was a crying need for an educational institution for boys, especially in the English Medium. Now this was a herculean task.
All government schools adhered to the set rule of Sinhala & Tamil medium. But this gentleman was unique in his aspirations. He wanted to venture into the unknown ……………………. He had to first find a place to begin his dream venture. After many a search, he was able to get only a junkyard down Dharmarama Road. The first sod was cut and the foundation stone was laid by the late Al Haj A.C.S. Hameed M.P., Minister of Justice and Higher Education. It was declared open on the 29th of January 1991.
The school started to bloom as a 3 roomed shack of which one was occupied by the Principal. This shack has been transformed into a majestic edifice complete with all the facilities and infrastructure which are held in four storied level, befitting the image of an esteemed educational institution - Amal International School. The initial construction work was executed, thanks largely due to the magnanimous help of Islamic Call Society of Libya, Pakistan embassy, a few individual donors from Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. A good portion of the donations came from members of the Memon community in Sri Lanka and Dubai. All thanks to the untiring efforts of Haji Mohamed Abdul Kareem Dangra and Mr. Hameed Abdul Karim Dangra.
This venture into the unknown the local syllabi in the English Medium were these possible? Time has proved it was possible. Ably backed by Mr. Faiz Musthafa (P.C.), Mr. M.C.M. Zarook was courageous enough to take on this task. God Almighty gave them the courage. All vernacular text books were translated into English. Competent and knowledgeable Educationists succeeded in this mighty task and Amal succeeded. In fact other schools too took on the initiative and started on the English Medium. Amal - the pioneer of the English Medium of the local syllabi had showed the way. Soon many schools in Colombo and Kandy were getting all their requirement of the text books from Amal International School.
Initially Mr.I.M. Jamaldeen, Mr. M.Y.L.A. Kaiyoom, Mr. Seyed Jiffry, Mr. Sufiyan and Mr. A.J.M. Farook were Principals of this institution. Presently Mr. A. Azeez Faleel is at the helm of affairs. Renowned personalities like Mr. Faiz Musthafa, President's Counsel and Mr. Akram Mukthar, Accountant, were past Chairmen of the Institution. Presently Mr. Hanif Yusuf, Director, Expolanka Holdings, carrries the mantle as the Chairman who has been in office since 2005, who has a clear vision of his own to bring recognition to the school both academically and otherwise. The rest of the members of the Board are Mr. Ashroff Rumi (Secretary) and Directors Mr. M.C.M. Zarook, Haji Mohamed A.K. Dangra, Mr. K.M.A. Hassan, Mr. Rafi Careem, Mr. Rizan Nazeer and Dr. M.A.M. Shukri.
At Amal, the modern concept that studies and sports go hand in hand has been maintained right throughout the seventeen years of the existence of the school. Amal is very well known for Basketball and the Basketball court has been constructed in keeping with International Standards and Specifications. Our teams of the various age groups have won many coveted awards and championships at International Schools Basketball tournaments. Some of the other activities are Swimming and Martial Arts. Recently cricket, which is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka, has seen a lot of students taking to the sport in various age groups under an expert coach. We hope to get into competitive cricket once the standard has been attained. Soccer too will be introduced in the near future.
Apart from the above sporting activities a number of indoor activities, clubs and societies are functioning.
The three roomed shack has been transformed into 40 spacious classrooms with adequate lighting and ventilation accommodating over a thousand students from pre-grade to Advanced Level Science, Mathematics & Commerce streams. A fully air conditioned computer laboratory, a full equipped science laboratory for seniors and juniors, an air conditioned and well stocked library compliments the facilities for the students. A team of competent, knowledgeable, very efficient and qualified teachers maintain academic and educational standards at Amal.
The grade 5 scholarship examination named the 'Allama Iqbal Scholarship Award' entitles free education for the winner up to the advanced level.
Amal, during the period of seventeen years is proud to have students in foreign countries pursuing Medicine, BBA and Aeronautical Engineering as their preferred goals. Amal is proud to have amongst the old boys a holder of Master in Information Technology and also a fully fledged Accountant. This is only a few of the achievements on record.
The multi ethnic population of the school helps to produce students who not only achieve distinction in the modern and contemporary education, but also to be fair and noble in their faith. Education at Amal teaches the youth of today not only how to make a living but also how to live. To quote from Syed Ahmed Khan "Value added education is the panacea for the social, political and economical diseases". This is what is being applied at Amal International School. |
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