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Guru Griho

From Sylhet

Scholarshome Stresses On English Language

Iqbal Siddiquee

Located in a nice part of Sylhet city, Scholarshome is an educational institution that has earned a great reputation for its modern and congenial atmosphere since the years of its inception. Founded in order to spread education to the region surrounding the Sylhet district, the Hafiz Majumder Trust founded this institution offering only class XI in 2002 at a rented house in the city's Electric Supply Road at Ambarkhana. The following year they started classes from VI to class X and then shifted to the new location. In 2005 the elementary section with playgroup to class V started at the old building.

The English medium school has already been going ahead at their own huge multistoried building at the new site of the Shahi Eidgah road. The first rented structure still accommodates the lively primary section.

The government had allotted the land to charitable organizations like the Hafiz Majumder Trust, which had been playing a laudable role towards spreading the light of education in the Zakiganj and Kanaighat upazilas- remote and frontier areas of the district. The trust built the 6-storeyed building for the high school and college section. The government had allotted the land for the institution on a long term lease. The building now houses the students with all the necessary modern amenities at a clean environment. There are 3 science laboratories, a modern library, an administrative block, a computer lab, 40 classrooms and an auditorium cum exhibition centre.

Presently, 785 students and 47 teachers are in the secondary and higher secondary sections and the number of students in the KG and elementary sections is about 700. There are highly qualified and trained teachers in both the secondary and higher secondary sections as well as in the elementary section.

Scholarshome organizes different competitions and functions such as Bangla and English poetry recitations, Bangla and English set-speech, Bangla and English debates and music competitions for their students. Besides, the International Mother Language Day, the Independance Day, Pahela Baishakh and Victory Day are observed with due respect and solemnity on a regular basis. Indoor games and competitions are also organized regularly.

For ensuring balanced growth for the children, various co-curricular and extracurricular activities are organized regularly. These include seminars, wall magazines, art competitions, project displays, games and sports. A tree plantation drive was also undertaken last year. Recreational facilities like study tours, picnics, library and computer facilities are also available for the students.

The principal of the institution- Brigadier General Zubayer Siddiqui (retired) says that Scholarshome gives emphasis on two aspects- academic excellence and discipline. It follows the national curriculum giving due importance to the English language. Already the English medium had been introduced up to class X. The English medium was introduced in classes XI-XII on an optional basis from the year 2007. The intermediate students are being taught in both Bangla and English mediums.

On the other hand, there is less pressure on homework and with a view to ease the students from their workload, they spend the last period for reviewing the whole day's learning at the school. A rich and modern library with a wide ranging collection of books and magazines has been set up in the college campus and is looked after by staff. At least one period a week is mandatory for library work.

Students of the school are doing well. The success percentage in the SSC examination is over 95 percent, while it is above 97 in the HSC examinations.

Looking at the progress this school has made in the short time that it has been around, the teachers and students of Scholarshome are proud of what they have done. The school had run into financial problems just within three months of starting up. Now the school is self sufficient and is meeting all expenditures. The savings are handed over to the trust, which extends assistance to other institutions run by the trust in rural areas.