Feature

“Once a Sunshiner, a Sunshiner forever”
An Interview of Ms Safia Ghazi Rahman

Tabassum Mokhduma

Forty students, five teachers and three staff member- it was the starting of a little school with hopes to touch the sky. What started as a consequence of a long cherished dream of a bright-eyed young lady, now boldly stands as a pioneer in sowing the seeds of dream in many young people’s heart. This is all about Sunshine Grammar School and College, one of the leading English medium schools in Bangladesh. The dawn of January 14, 2009 had seen its 25th birthday. Recently Star Campus (SC) spoke to the aspiring woman behind this long journey. Here are the excerpts of the interview of Ms Safia Ghazi Rahman (SGR), Principal of this reputed school situated in Chittagong. Ms. Safia is perhaps more known for convincing the British Council to establish Examination Centre in Chittagong thus saving the students from the hazard of traveling all the way to Dhaka to sit for O/A level exams. She also introduced “Bangladesh Studies” in O levels syllabus with her personal initiatives.

SC: What inspired you to start an English medium school when society used to see women mostly as a homemaker?

SGR: I would rather say that the story behind starting Sunshine is a long one though not a pre-planned one at all. I completed my post graduation in 1984 and by that time I had three kids. I was really worried where to enroll my daughter who is the eldest of my three kids and was not even three years old at that time. At the same time, I saw parents sending their kids to Dhaka after the completion of their primary schooling as there were no schools to provide O & A Levels in Chittagong. All these made me think about the importance of a good English medium school because without having a good grasp in English, it is practically impossible to get a good job. But I did not really think of starting a school myself and that was also an English medium school. It was at that time that some of the women who were known to me suggested that I should start an English medium school myself. To be frank, at first I was actually shocked rather than surprised and told them how could I do that as I did not have any experience. But I do not know why, they had a firm belief in me and they said that if anyone in Chittagong could do it, it was me. I was surprisingly happy and decided to start my own school…Well, that is how it started. But now, I simply cannot imagine myself without this school.

SC: To encourage the meritorious and needy students, what type of scheme does Sunshine have?

SGR: From the very beginning, Sunshine gave attention to the special needs of the students. In Sunshine there are different types of scholarships and need-based financial aids to cater the needs of the students. There is “Massi Ghazi Scholarship” for the students who achieve outstanding results in their O levels & A which provides them with waiver from 50-100% as per results. Similarly there is “Rabeya Ghazi Scholarship” for the meritorious students of national curriculum (S.S.C. & H.S.C.). Apart from these scholarships there are also provisions for need based financial aid for those who have potentials but cannot afford.

SC: Please tell us about the extra-curricular activities of the Sunshiners.

SGR: There are Sunshine Community Services, Sunshine Book Club, Sunshine Debate Club, Sunshine Film Society, Sunshine Village, Wall Magazine Club, Sports Clubs where the students work actively. Amongst the many distinctions earned in extra curricular activities some Sunshiners have brought in laurels not only to Sunshine Grammar School but to Bangladesh. Whether it is dance, music, arts or sports, we are privileged to gift Bangladesh with some genuine talents to be proud of. The students regularly participate in various programmes and themselves organize some events as well. Moreover we regularly organize different programmes to observe International Mother Language Day, Independence Day, Pohela Boishakh, Nazrul and Rabindra Joyonti, Victory Day etc. to introduce the students to the Bangladeshi culture as well. Besides, there are other charity services too which says about the Sunshiners' commitment towards humanity. There is a Sunshine village which is a project undertaken by the school and its students to support poor and vulnerable communities to stand up on its own feet for communal harmony.We have Sunshine Voluntary Service which is one of the most active student voluntary services amongst all the English medium schools in Bangladesh. The students on behalf of these clubs distribute biscuit, soaps, clothes, blankets etc. to the needy people of slums and runs the awareness programme to make these underprivileged section of the society aware about hygiene, safety measures etc. We know that we can't do all work to change these people’s life but we are happy that at least we are doing something that at the end of the day, even after some hard work, gives us the pleasure that we tried to make the change. But whatever Sunshine contributes for the under-privileged sections, it's not my effort alone. As we collect the money from the tuition fees of the students, it is the guardians who work from behind, and it is the students, teachers and other staffs who tirelessly work to make a difference in people's lives.

SC: Most of the time guardians complain that English medium schools are going out of reach, moreover there is a trend amongst the students of running after the private tutor even though the school is there. What's your opinion regarding these issues?

SGR: It's very natural for the guardians of the students of a country like Bangladesh to complain about the high tuition and exam fees of English medium schools. But in Sunshine we try our best to keep the fees as affordable as possible. In the meetings with the officials of Cambridge and Edexcel I frequently raise this issue to keep the exam fees within the guardians' means rather than increasing the fees impractically every year. In the case of the students running after the private teachers, I'd rather say that it's very unfortunate. In the school we have the teachers who work diligently just to ensure students' brighter future. In Sunshine we discourage the students to go to private tuitions and help them to understand their topics by taking extra classes. But we simply cannot stop this trend all alone. We also need the support from the guardians as well as from the other institutions. The parents should come to us with the problems rather than taking their children to the so called coaching centers.

SC: Where would you like to see Sunshine after ten years?

SGR: We have taken the initiatives to expand Sunshine Grammar School and College with better infrastructure with all possible modern amenities. Though in these 25 years we achieved so many laurels and still going ahead boldly, Sunshine is the first school to start O & A Levels as well as H.S.C. in national curriculum English medium college in Chittagong, our students are getting world highest marks on a regular basis, but even after all these achievements I always believe that we are far from our goals. There are miles to go. These 25 glorious years will help Sunshine for a new start, with newer missions and visions to make the change in the society, to make the road of success a smoother one for the next generation.

(Writer is a student of LAW Dept. Of Chittagong University)