Once a centre of excellence, the oldest school in downtown Rawalpindi, is struggling to maintain its stature in the field of education.

Now known as the Government Faizul Islam High School for Boys No.1, the school was opened in 1899 by Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement, as part of its network of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic schools in the Potohar region.

The current building on Trunk Road was actually the second school opened as part of its network. It is a mixture of Mughal and colonial British architecture and still retains its original woodwork and structure.

The building is divided into two portions. The main building comprises the main hall, which looks similar to a Hindu temple, as well as the office of the principal and staff.

The classrooms are in the newer structure; some, towards the backyard, retain wooden balconies and stonework.

The building was constructed with donations from members of the Hindu community. The philanthropists’ names can be found in some rooms.

A few rooms were built by Harnas Lal Sahini in the memory of his mother Shiv Das Lakshmi Devi; other rooms were constructed by Ram Lal and Jevan Devi.

“Some Hindu religious signs were installed on the walls and the roof, but after the building was reconstructed these symbols vanished,” said the school’s principal, Hafiz Umair.

He told Dawn that the Hindu temple was not a part of the school premises, but some believed it was constructed for the school.

The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic schools aimed to educate people from all faiths. The school in Rawalpindi was renamed in 1950, after the partition of the subcontinent, and handed over to the first Muslim orphanage society in the subcontinent – Anjuman Faizul Islam.

The school was nationalised under the PPP government in 1972, but the orphanage situated in the backyard of the school remained in the control of the Anjuman Faizul Islam.

“Arya Samaj was a Hindu religious movement for preaching the Hindu religion and it opened many schools and colleges in Rawalpindi and other parts of India,” Anjuman Faizul Islam secretary general Raja Fateh Khan told Dawn.

At present the school is being operated by the Punjab government, but it has failed to maintain the standard of education that was being imparted in the days of the missionary controlled board.

Former MNA Malik Shakil Awan, who studied at the Mission High School, told Dawn that when he was enrolled there the school was the best in the city.

He said the school had more than 250 students between grades six and 10; they won gold medals in various subjects and co-curricular activities, and their names were written in the main hall in recognition of their achievements. However, he added, the number of students had fallen.

Where over a thousand students have enrolled at the school a decade ago, he said, most people had now turned to private schools. He added that he and the teachers had managed to increase the number of students at the school, and most students were coming from other parts of the city to study there.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2018