Zamindara Islamia High School: Rural Punjab’s first high school

The school does not charge a fee and all the expenses are borne by the management

FAISALABAD: With its perfect past and long history of imparting education, Government Zamindara Islamia High School —the first high school in rural areas of  United Punjab ­— needs immediate attention of the authorities.

Hundreds of residents of Dasuha and adjacent villages blame the education authorities for its step-motherly treatment with one of the leading secondary schools for not giving due recognition and status.



The residents complain that more than 14 schools in the vicinity of Dasuha have been upgraded to the higher secondary school level but the case of upgrading Zamindara school to higher secondary level has been in cold storage for the past three decades.



Founded by Khan Sahib Mehar Abadan, Zamindara High School was the first high school established in the rural areas of the then united Punjab in 1911. He looked after the management the institution till 1917.

It was the only school in which students coming from all across Punjab were provided the facility of boarding.

The construction of the school was completed with an amount of Rs759,000, for which Abadan sold his agricultural land to pay for the construction expenses.

In 1918, a managing body called “Muttahida Anjuman” was constituted to run the affairs of the school until it was nationalised in 1972. The school management committee comprises Dasuha’s notables and the village has the highest enrolment and literacy rate throughout Faisalabad district.



The school does not charge any tuition fee while the expenses of maintenance, operation, salaries of teachers and other recurring overheads are borne by the Muttahida Anjuman.

The then Punjab governor Sir Odvor, who visited the school, had termed the institution one of the best institutions in the province even though it was located in a small village.

This school has a distinction in sports too. Lal Shah Bokhari, an alumni of this school, led the Indian national hockey team in 1932 Summer Olympics in Germany. His superior skills made the umpire personally check his hockey stick and forced him to change his hockey thrice in one single game. The football team of this school won the All Punjab Open Cup Tournament in 1921 and All Indian Football Open Tournament in 1946.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Zamindara High School headmaster Muhammad Arshad said the government should give due importance and upgrade the school. He said the institution has imparted education to thousands of students who went on to serve the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2017.