Sharjah watchman hopes to run school in Bangla

It’s not often we venture out to help someone. Not when our expat life is mostly focused on our own incomes and investments, and making our time in the UAE worth it. So, it’s indeed humbling when a security guard decides to use part of his meager savings to run a free school in his native village Belchura, in Bangladesh.

His decision stemmed from being denied education when he was younger, and a broken dream of becoming a lawyer. “My father couldn’t afford to educate me beyond high school but I don’t want children in my village to be denied that.”

Abdul Mannan Jamaluddin, who has been working as a building watchman in Sharjah for the last 25 years, has been offering free education to the children in his village so that they have access to a better life.

“I don’t want the children to suffer like me. I want them to learn and explore the world.

“Most children who study in my school are innocent and don’t even know how education will improve their lives,” he notes.

Although Abdul was able to secure a job in the UAE, he believes his options are limited, and it’s this that he wants to correct for the children in his village.

It has been nine years since Abdul started the school, when the number of students was 100. Today, he educates nearly 350 students. Even his children Mohammad, Maryam, and Aisha are enrolled in the school, which offers classes from Grade 1 to 8.

“It’s not easy. And, I struggle to make ends meet, but I don’t want to give up,” he adds.

A small part of his monthly earning of Dh1,700 is reserved for his family, and the rest sent for the school. He even works part-time, doing odd jobs to make extra cash.

“Our government back home provides free textbooks, but I have to still pay the teachers’ salary and maintenance,” he said, adding that he’s also aided by friends and some well-wishers.

Abdul’s now finding it tough to find funding to expand the school. “It’s a daunting task to find more money,” he confesses.

His plans of adding Grade 9 and 10 next year will cost roughly around Dh50,000. “I will also need to find more qualified teachers to prepare our students for the Bangladesh board exams.”

Abdul, however, isn’t one to lose hope. “I started this school with my meager savings, but I’ve come this far. Even my wife wasn’t supportive then, but things worked out. I’m sure God will show me a way.”

It was back in 2001 during a trip to his village that the idea of starting a school first cropped in his mind. “Our village didn’t have a school until then. The nearest school was far from our village, and it wasn’t accessible.”

He started with a small functional structure, built on a land donated by a village elder. The school was up and running in its first year, and had nearly 100 students, but soon problems with the landowner cropped up and the building was demolished.

Abdul was forced to abandon his plans that year, and had to save up for another four years before he tried again. In 2005, he announced his decision to build the school in the land he had bought, and the villagers joined in to help in whatever way they could. By the time his annual holiday ended, the first-floor of the building was built and the first batch of students attended class.

Since then the school has expanded by one grade every year. He’s constantly in touch with the school teachers, and calls them every day to ensure the smooth running of the school.

He adds that everyone sets aside spare money for the school, and his three friends who work abroad also send monthly remittance.

Abdul’s positive that things will work out. “When I first started out I didn't know if it would last. But, now that I’ve come this far, I don’t want to stop.”

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