Emdad Rahman
Jamiatul Ummah secondary school held an anniversary dinner to celebrate 20 years of education excellence, togetherness, community and inspiring a united group of strong, upstanding and committed young men to fulfill huge ambitions.
From humble beginnings, the educational establishment has achieved outstanding success over the last two decades. As part of the festivities the East End school celebrated a 100% pass rate for GCSEs (5A*-C grades including English and Mathematics [Department for Education, HM Government 2016]). Guests at the event included Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs and Brent Civic Mayor Parvez Ahmed.
Among those giving speeches were Principal Nojarul Islam, who said, “Twenty years ago this was all a dream. It hasn’t been easy at all. We have struggled with our premises, with rising costs and numerous challenges to make ends meet. I’m proud that we continue to deliver excellent education and today we can reflect on and celebrate this as a special moment. Our alumni contribute immensely in terms of the progression of our community and I pray that in the future we can continue to benefit society in even greater capacities.”
School Governor Zoinul Abidin added, “It gives me immense pleasure to be here today and reflect on our magnificent journey together so far. I feel privileged to have been a part of this family and even though it’s been twenty years we still have a long way to go. The values we teach here are designed to encourage our students to help make the world a better place and we will continue to drive on and achieve this aim.”
The Chair of the Governing Body, Shabbir Kawsar, also congratulated students on their outstanding achievements and thanked and praised the dedicated staff for the crucial role they have played in achieving such notable success.
Testimonials flowed from former Alumni Abu Talha and Mahbub Anam, and the Jamiatul Ummah Alumni Association was launched by Hamam Khan.
The programme included a brief history of Jamiatul Ummah, GCSE certificate awards and – the highlight of the evening – the Hifdh (memorisation of the Quran) student graduation and service awards. In attendance to witness the presentation was Shaikh Md Imran – the very first Hifdh graduate of Jamiatul Ummah.
There were also speeches from Shaikh Abu Sayeed, Chair of Trustees and former Principal Shaikh Abdul Rahman Madani. A very short fundraising drive led by Imam Ajmal Masroor helped secure almost £20,000 to be invested into student resources for the school.
Jamiatul Ummah was established in 1997 to combine outstanding, rigorous and integrated Islamic education alongside excellent education in the National Curriculum. Academically, the institute is a “100% school”: almost monotonously 100% of pupils achieve grades A* to C in their GCSE examinations, and in 2016 the school achieved the highest examination result of any Tower Hamlets school. Ummah was placed forty-second in the country in the league tables of schools published by the Daily Telegraph. Only two London schools did better.
The school ethos is to provide the confidence to achieve and the inspiration to become the best in whatever field of life the students ultimately choose. Staff form a partnership with the pupils, their families and the community which enables the pupils to become informed, compassionate, global citizens.
•For more information, go to: www.jamiatulummah.org.uk
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