Sindh Assembly: Quaid’s old school is now a university

MPAs insist the university must have modern technology.


Hafeez Tunio December 22, 2011

KARACHI:


The Sindh Assemby has decided to upgrade Quaid-e-Azam’s alma mater to a university.

On Wednesday, MPA Pir Mazharul Haq said that Hassan Ali Effendi’s Sindh Madressatul Islam had been providing quality education since 1875. He put forth a bill to change its status from a school to a university.

Other MPAs insisted that it was important to ensure that the university was up to date with modern technology and facilities. The education minister said that Effendi’s great grandson President Asif Ali Zardari had asked them to expedite the process. He added that along with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first chief minister of Sindh, Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah, Pakistan Peoples Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's father Shahnawaz Bhutto, scholar Shamsul Ulema Daudpota and Haji Abdullah Haroon had also attended the institution.

He claimed that the school was handed over to the federal government but ever since the education sector had been devolved, it came under the Sindh government’s control.

While talking about Muslim schools in pre-Partition India, Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Sardar Ahmed said that the British government had adopted a ‘divide and rule’ policy by removing the Talpurs from Sindh and Mughals from India. He said that it was difficult for Effendi to acquire permission from the British to open the school in Sindh.

According to Ahmed, the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College was the first Muslim school in the sub-continent. The PPP’s Makhdoom Jameeluz Zaman said that he was willing to donate plots for the university’s campus in Hala.

PPP MPA Jam Tamachi Unar said it was a tough job to run universities because of the shortage of resources.

Before adopting the new bill, PPP MPA Dr Sikander Mandhro suggested that the department of information technology’s amendment should be included. Culture Minister Sassui Palijo, Information Minister Shazia Marri, MPA Munwar Abbasi, Shama Arif Mithani, PPP MPA Humera Alwani, PML-F MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi, MQM MPA Shahnaz Saifuddin were also present.

The bill was passed unanimously.

The who’s who of Sindh Madressatul Islam

Mohammad Ali Jinnah,

The first chief minister of Sindh, Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah,

Pakistan Peoples Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's father Shahnawaz Bhutto

Scholar Shamsul Ulema Daudpota

Haji Abdulla Haroon

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2011.

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