A leading Saudi academic complimented the Indian community for running one of the finest schools in the Eastern Province.
Dr. Adel Shaheen Al-Dossary of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) was speaking at a well-attended felicitation event organized by the Dammam International Indian School Parents Association (DIISPA) to honor the school’s Grade 12 toppers.
Al-Dossary, whose understanding of India and Indian history is legendary, said it was no small achievement to run an institution that has on its rolls 16,000 students and 800 teachers.
“The school and its teachers and administrators deserve appreciation and applause for producing talented students,” he said and recalled having once asked Principal E. K. Mohammed Shaffe in wonderment: “How do you manage such a huge institution so successfully?”
Members of the former Managing Committee, headed by John Thomas, were given a warm farewell while the new managing committee, chaired by Thiru K.M., was welcomed amid high expectations.
The successful event was the brainchild of five key community members — DIISPA Vice Chairman T. P. M. Fazal, chief patron Khalid Saifulla (Al-Yamama), convener Bilal Ahmad, joint convener Hamid Ebrahim Sait and A. S. T. Sivakumar. Pangulf Business Development Manager Mohammad Sajid was among the key backers of the event.
Among those who attended the event were higher board member Dr. S. U. Rahman, former Chairmen Abdullah Manjeri and Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan, Girls Section Principal Incharge Lt. Col. J. A. Rocque, Girls Secondary Section Headmistress Dhanalaxmi Ramanujam, Boys Middle Section Headmistress Mariyu Sageer, Controller of Examinations Mehnaz Farid, Headmistress (kindergarten) Najma Nakhat, teachers Fouzia Hamid, Sabiha Rizvi, Azra Qamar and Ruby Joseph and community representatives Shoaib Ahmad Quraishi, Syed Abdallah Rizvi and Abdul Sathar.
Members of the previous managing committee, John Thomas, Dr. Shamshad Ahmed, Mohammad Fayazuddin, K. Aboobakkar, S. Balamurali and Ravi Radhakrishna Murthy were honored with mementos. Besides Chairman Thiru K. M., the other members of the new committee who graced the occasion were Hakeem Dowla, Mohammed Farooque, Shamshad Ahmad and Abdullah Manjeri.
Fazal congratulated the students and teachers on the stellar performance.
“This event is just a little acknowledgement of the good work done by the teachers and the students,” he said. “At DIISPA, we aim to play the role of a constructive bridge between the parents community and the school administration.”
Rahman urged the new committee not to shy away from taking difficult decisions. “If the decision is in the betterment of the school and has to be taken, it should be taken,” he said. “There has to be a concerted efforts to educate the parents as well on what is good and what is not for their children.” Thomas said one of the key factors in the previous committee’s successful tenure was the element of consensus. “We were able to take everyone along with us, and I would appeal to the new committee to close their ranks for the school’s rapid advancement,” he said.
Thiru, the new chairman, acknowledged that there were huge expectations from the new committee. “Give us time and we will deliver on all that we have promised,” he said, and paid fulsome compliments to the teachers and the top rankers.
Col. Rocque appreciated DIISPA’s excellence award initiative. “Such events go a long way in encouraging the students to give their best, and they make us teachers proud,” he said.
The DIISPA Academic Excellence Awards were given to Aiswarya Sasi Kaladharan, Sanya Suhema, Nirmala Ann Joseph, Sourabh Haridasan, Tiya Elizabeth John, Amala Philsi Varghese, Jaweria Ahmed, Sana, Hajera Tabassum and Sayama Wangde.
Saudi academic lauds school for producing toppers
