If we are able in the years ahead to staff our schools with superior teachers, I have no doubt that our students will succeed in making the type of progress that I hope can be achieved and should be achieved in these new institutions.
Members of the Board, Ladies and gentlemen:
My wife and I ought to visit the school a great deal more often because we receive such lovely presents. That I would be very encouraged to come back. I think I should say that this visit was provoked by me because the visits to the schools hadn't been planed originally. And I have been asked to come and see what progress has been made in our educational institutions and particularly the new ones that have been developed since 1960 here in Karachi and in other parts of Pakistan. I believe that in other parts of the world, the time and effort and thought that has gone into planning and developing new educational institutions, has shown without doubt very substantial results in the Jamat position in the past 13 years. This was why in Pakistan I decided that we have to create, regardless of the very substantial costs involved, new educational institutions which would develop for the Jamat in the future and indeed for the whole of country a new elite, a new group of students who could proceed from the Nursery level, all the way through Primary education, Secondary education, on to University studies to the best universities wherever they may be situated here or abroad. In order to achieve this, it had become fundamental that we should first of all develop new schools-the physical buildings of new schools. The first part of this programme has been completed but I understand that here particularly there is a very substantial demand for new school buildings and before I leave Pakistan, I will discuss the problem with the Education Administrator and we will seek to take the necessary steps to solve this problem in the years ahead. The second requirement was to attract to these schools the best "teachers" that we could find, because it doesn't matter how good the building is, if the teaching staff are not loyal and hardworking and qualified, we simply cannot educate our youth the way they should be educated. And this is why I have said to the Administrator in the past, we have to attract by whatever means are necessary the best teaching staff that we can get. I have understood in this short visit to Pakistan that teaching as a profession still is not looked upon by the majority of our Jamat as one of the most desirable professions that exist. This must be changed and I hope that all the Jamati Organisations who have ideas on this will submit these ideas to the Education Administrator. Because it is fundamental that in the future more and more of our girls and more of our boys should as they grow up learn to consider to teaching as one of the best professions that exist. And if we are able in the years ahead to staff our schools with superior teachers, I have no doubt that our students will succeed in making the type of progress that I hope can be achieved and should be achieved in these new institutions. "I see today that there is a very large number of young boys and young girls here. To them I would simply say, "do not waste your time. Once you have reached a certain age it will no longer be possible for you to return to your scholastic studies and remember that the tradition of your schools depends, to a large extent, on the work and approach which you have to your education. I hope that you will make good use of these new institutions and try to establish traditions of excellence all the way through your scholastic careers. Lastly, I congratulate the Board and my Education Administrator for having in my view, developed a real, forward looking programme for our educational institutions. These programmes must be built upon, and I hope that more and more people will be attracted to supporting what is the most basic requirement of Pakistan and of our Jamat which is a good, sound education.
Source Ismaili Mirror.
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