Guru Griho

From Mymensingh

Kazir Shimla Nazrul High School

Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam spent a part of his boyhood at Kazir Shimla Nazrul High School. This issue's Guru Griho looks at the present condition of the school, its constraints and aspirations.
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Aminul Islam

Kazi Rafizuddin, a Police Sub-Inspector working at Bardwan district in West Bengal took Nazrul to his village home at Kazir Shimla in Trishal in 1914 so that he has access to better education. Till today, the people of Trishal as well as people in Mymensingh district remember Kazi Nazrul as one of their own.

The school was established in 1939 at its present location beside Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, some 10 kilometers away from Mymensingh district town. Before the school was named after the poet Nazrul, the school was run as Middle English (ME) school in the beginning and then later as a junior high school in 1958 and was finally upgraded to a high school in 1969.

Umed Ali Mondol, Tasir Uddin Mollah, Kazi Mainuddin, Momtaz Uddin Kholifa and Sayeen Ullah Sarker contributed significantly in the establishment of the school. The school took a prestigious shape for its good performances under the leadership of Mofazzol Hossain, one of the headmasters who held the chair for a staggering period of 36 years, school sources said.

Now the number of students is roughly 700. But the student-teacher ratio is less than optimal. For smooth running of the school and for rendering quality education, appointments of teachers is urgently needed, said Hamida Khatun, the headmistress of the school. Furthermore, there is room to open more sections and students are waiting to get in, but the school cannot expand without adequate teaching staff.

The school currently enrolls students in two groups: Sciences and Humanities. But, according to the headmistress, given the tremendous demand for Business and Economics professionals both locally and internationally, the school needs to open a Commerce group. The result of the school is satisfactory so far and the average pass rate at high school is over 60 percent.

The school authorities desire governmental assistance in hiring teachers, in setting up a library with modern facilities and in building a computer lab to join the present government's digital Bangladesh initiatives, said some people of the Kazir Shimla village. The local people are proud of calling Kazir Shimla their home, and wish for the school to develop into the best academic institution in the district.