Najmussahar Girls High School – Happy Turnaround

By A Staff Writer
The decrepit building on a street corner in Benson Town had just five rooms where sat over 200 girls crammed in leaky classrooms. Most of these girls would walk down the over two kilometer trek every morning to reach the school. Poor and underfed as they were, some would faint upon arrival. With no teaching aids worth the name and indifferent coaching, results were generally poor.
But a decade of constant effort has dramatically altered the Najmussahar Girl High School. Having been shifted to a new premises, the school certainly looks like an upscale institution. The girls too are thanking their stars for the transformation.
Having started in 1970, the school had witnessed a steep decline in standards. An apathetic management and indifferent coaching had robbed the prospects of it attracting any bright students, especially when a number of high-end schools had taken away the cream of the society.
But then around 2003 things began to change as an NGO, Asian Women and Children’s Foundation adopted the school. In early 2012, the School moved from Benson Town to a spacious premises inside the Eidgah e Jadeed on Tannery Road. A Wakf premises, the almost, ten times larger space provided the girl students a refreshing change from the previous suffocating atmosphere. The NGO has provided bright red and white uniforms to the children. A private trust brings them hot and wholesome midday meals. Milk laced with energy drinks is offered at the end of the day. Classrooms are equipped with smart boards and audio-visual teaching aids. Toilets are clean and maintained hygienically. Twelve brightly lit classrooms and a seemingly unending corridor provide enough space for the girls to move about.
 The Foundation has supplemented staff by hiring eight new teachers with decent salaries. The changes have begun showing the results with several girls scoring over 80% marks, a drastic turnaround from the pitiable performance at exams in the past. The Foundation also began helping girls desirous of joining college education. And lo and Behold! Several graduates from among the past students have landed up jobs in prestigious firms such as IBM, Oracle, Accenture and Wipro.
 The holistic care by the Foundation even provides glasses for those weak of eyesight and conducts dental checkups. On special occasions, even mothers are called for orientation on family health and also handed over basic ration packets. The Foundation is currently giving scholarships to 120 students for pursuing pre-university and degree courses. However, the school is looking for a full-fledged computer lab. Any philanthropists who would like to assist the institution can contact: Zubeda B. Ishaq, Najmus Sahar Girls High School, Idgah-e-Jadeed, 22, BSA Road, Tannery Road, Bangalore-560005. Or Phone: 96204-19300, [email protected].