History of Girl’s Education in Gojal, Upper-Hunza
After the visit of Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV to the Hunza Valley in October 1960 Girl’s education in Shimshal started to gain more attention. After observing and discussing the education situation in Hunza in the course of his visit. The Aga Khan initiated a reorientation of the DJ schools and made girls’ education their new focus.
Some former boys’ DJ schools were turned into co-educative institutions and new DJ schools for girls were established. The emphasis of the DJ schools on girls’ education marks the take-off point for expansion in Gilgit Baltistan. These schools played an important role in girls’ education in the Ismaili settlement regions of Gilgit-Baltistan until now ”(Nazar, 2004)
Following Prince Aga Khan’s vision, the first ever girl school was established in 1970. Mr. Gohar from Passu Gojal after his retirement from Army established the school. Mr. Gohar’s school later got merged with AKES, P Boys School Passu in 1977.
First Girl’s School In Shimshal
In the case of Shimshal, Mr. Gulam Rasul established his own girls’ school in 1972. And was handed over to Regional Education Board Hunza in 1974. He was appointed as a teacher at DJ Girls Primary School Shimshl for the first time.
Gulam Rasul served the school till 1978 when Mr. Aman Ullah replaced him 1978. From 1974 to 1976 two parallel DJ schools were operational in Shimshal, one for boys and another for girls. In 1976 the boy’s school was nationalized and become part of the government education system. While Region Education Board (REB) Hunza gave more focus to DJ Girls School Shimshal.
Early Life and Education of Mr. Gulam Rasul
Mr. Gulam Rasul was born in 1948 in the remotest village Shimshal of Gojal Gojal. At the age of three, he lost his father. He says, “I do not remember my father, my mother, and elder brother bringing up me”.
He was much busy playing with his friends Muhammad Sifat, Iqbal Husain, and his neighbors. When in 1957 his mother and elder brother decided to take him to Khaifar Ali Yar. He established his school after returning from Baltit Center Hunza.
His two friends Muhammad Sadiq and Iqbal Hussain also joined him in the school. This made school a comfortable place for him. His studies were not difficult because he was a nine-year-old boy. Some of his class fellows were even elder than him. After three months of education, Khalifa Ali Yar closed his school and shifted all his students to Mr. Muhammad Nayab. Muhammad Nayab also started teaching in the village in the same year after his return. Getting two years of education from Bapu of Khudabad Gojal.
Gulam Rasul continued his studies till 1959 with Muhammad Nayab and his brother shifted him to Passu for further education. Where Mr. Malik Shah from Central Hunza was teaching at DJ Primary School. After a few months, he could not adjust there and went back to the village. His brother Ahmad Ullah Baig Maad was too much concerned about his education. Because his teachers were praising his ability so he again shifted to the DJ School in Passu. Now he could adjust himself and was busy with his studies and had also made some new friends.
His maternal uncle Muhammad Gulban decided to shift him to Gilgit for further education. When her mother heard that he is going to Gilgit for further studies. She asked Qambar Baig, one of his villagers, to bring back Gulam Rasul to his village Shimshal. Qamber Baig told him your mother is sick so she is waiting for you.
He went back to the village and gave up his education forever. In 1967 he went to Karachi and came back in 1970 where girls education inspired him. He came back with the vision to establish a girl’s school in the village
Establishment of Girl’s School by Gulam Rasul
Mr. Gulam Rasul narrates, “In 1972, I started my own school. With no fee and no salary with the specific aim that first. It is Imam’s Farman that girls should also get an education and participate in community work. Secondly, I saw girls getting an education in Karachi.
” Gulam Rasul explained that when he went to Karachi, he saw many girls getting an education. He asked himself, why girls of Shimshal are not getting an education? So when he came back, he started teaching girls. He provided free books to all students for the first 2 years. For that, his brother was very generous and cooperative.
He says that he was lucky enough because after two years of struggle. In 1974, under the leadership of Ghulam-U-Din and Sultan Ali, the school registered with Aga Khan Education Board Hunza. And they started paying his salary to him. Moreover, he said that in 1975 Aziz Ullah replaced him (Ghulam Rasul) in the month of May. But after summer vacation the school remained closed. As the elder brother of Aziz Ullah was sick so he remained engaged with him.
In January 1976 Ghulam Rasul reopened the school at the request of Mr. Gulam Ud Din, secretary Regional Education Board Hunza. In the same year in the month of November, he went for training in Shah Karim Hostel Gilgit. Which was the first-ever teacher training in the northern area.
Zul Khan and his team from Karachi trained all the teachers of DJ schools from the Northern Area. He said most of the teachers were with primary education or less. Few were matric pass, and two with intermediate education. Haqiqat Ali and Daulat Amin, from Gojal, were the only ones with 10 years of education. Mr. Gulam Rasul said during the establishment of the school, there was only one class in a single local house. He continued schooling in Khalifa Rahman Baig’s apricot orchard all summers during his services. Mr. Bakhti Baig, Sayed Yar Baig, Itaat Shah, and Mohd Atta donated their extra local houses for winter accommodation.
Mr. Gulam Rasul said there were only 12 students in the first year, which later turned into 45 girl students. However, it came to notice that most of the senior students left school due to early marriages and household work. Only two of them studied till and graduated from, class 5th. He claimed that 30 students were handed over to his successor Aman Ullah. When he was replaced for not having a Matric class certificate. Miss Ainul Nisa, the first female to enroll in school, continued her education till grade 8. She became the first female teacher in Shimshal. She said, “I do not remember the date of establishment of the girls’ school. But I was the first student of Gulam Rasool. Some of the students with her in the first year were, Dursultana, Durdana Begum, Durbeka, Narz Bagum, Bibi Jahan, and Goher Sultana.
Mr. Gulam Rasul narrated that in 1976 a local education board was formed and Mr. Muhabat Shah becomes the first convener of the board. Furniture was first time given to many schools. But due to road difficulty, it became impossible to bring furniture to both schools in Shimshal. So Muhabat Shah, a carpenter too, made a table and a chair for each school.
As the boy’s school nationalized Muhabat Shah make some benches also made by Muhabat Shah and delivered them to the DJ Girls Primary School in 1977. It was the first time that students got furniture and felt comfortable in the physical environment provided to them. He narrated that when ITRAB appointed two religious guides in the village one of them Mr. Nazar Muhammad honorary in DJ Girls School Shimshal from (8:00 to 11:00) on a daily basis. While Mr. Muhammad Khan supported Boys’ Schools in the same way. He praised Mr. Samim Shah and said, “Samim Shah supported me for a whole year in 1977. Teaching with me honorary in DJ Girls School Shimshal”.
In terms of using curricula, Gulam Rasul narrated that in the beginning only Urdu Qaida (first reader). And verses from the Holy Quran were part of the teaching. As time passed and students graduated from one class to another all the textbooks of the Panjab Textbook Board became part of the course. Urdu, Islamiat, math, science, and Social Studies are studied in class one while simple English is in class 4th and 5th.
One of Gulam Rasul’s students Miss Hussen Bibi an ex-teacher of DJ Girls School Shimshal said, “Wētodh Gēlomē ki skul ne x̄etu sakē bet joyetuwa yoyēn hacir jamati yark x̄ētuwa, cūm solēn hacir tēr and wērex̄tu”( If Mr. Gulam Rasul had not opened his school. The opportunity for girls to avail education would have remained closed for several more year. We would not have been able to get an education and participate in community development).
Being an educated man Mr. Gulam Rasul has participated in several community development activities. Among them is his role as initiator of Ashams Library Shimshal. He says that when he visited Shah Karim Hostel Gilgit during his teacher training he got access to its library, which inspired and motivated him to establish such a library in his village. At the moment he discussed his idea with Shahid Ali a student in the hostel from Shimshal. Shahid Ali appreciated and organized meetings with other students in the hostel, Mr. Jauhar Ali, Farman Ali, Sher Ali, and Aman Ullah. In the meeting, they all agreed to establish the library in a room at Gulam Rasul’s house. This took place when the students came back to the village for their summer vacations.
The library grew bigger and Mr. Wali Baig temporarily donated a room for the library, later on, the community constructed the library building. He says, “I wish the community will reopen the library. I will voluntarily keep open its door for the youth of Shimshal”
We pray God to bless Mr. Gulam Rasul with long life.
