House System introduced to inculcate leadership skills in MSians

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House System introduced to inculcate leadership skills in MSians

Hyderabad: To inculcate leadership qualities in MSians right from childhood, MS has introduced School House System in all its branches. The system has an established hierarchy line and provides positive competition among students and it also builds a close rapport between students and teachers to achieve common goals.

On the apex of the hierarchy line stands School Pupil Leader. He is selected by the principal after consultation with the class teachers. He is next to the Principal in respect of policy making related with students. His main function is to ensure that students’ concerns are brought to the notice of the school authorities. He also acts as liaison between the students and the school authorities. The next position in the leadership hierarchy is Deputy School Leader who is also selected by Principal. He reports to School Pupil Leader.

The Deputy School leader also has an equally important role to play for the success of the activities and programmes of the school. His responsibilities include 1)Render support and cooperation to other captains, 2)Manage student discipline and inculcate good behavior, 3)Exhibit exemplary role model and self-discipline. Besides that there are 6 committees: namely 1)Literary Committee 2)Science Committee 3)Creativity Committee 4)Deeniyat Committee 5)Sports Committee 6)Cultural Committee. These committees are headed by a President who are selected by the subject teachers. Next in line is House captains followed by Mentors and Bench monitors.

The school is divided into four different houses. And each house is lead by house captains. The House captains represents houses and reports to deputy School leader. He/ she is selected from class IX. The house captains are expected to: 1)Supervise and coordinate all house activities along with the house parents, 2)Encourage the house members to take part in the house competitions, and 3)Exhibit exemplary role model and self-discipline.

Mentors are selected / elected in each class (other than IX class) by Class Teacher and he /she reports to respective house captains / Deputy School Leader. He plays a crucial role in helping the class teachers in the smooth functioning of the class. He acts as the overall in charge of the class for particular house and coordinate all class activities.

The last hierarchy is Bench Monitors. They are selected by the mentors in each class for each bench after discussing with class teacher. The Bench Monitors report to Mentors and act as guide for the student sitting along with him and coordinate all class activities.

The purpose of setting up the school house system is to give students an identity and sense of pride in a supportive, secure environment. Instills determination, team work, belongingness, creativity and collaboration among students. And brings awareness of the importance of community. Allows development of skills and talents and acknowledges their successes.

MS IAS Academy Entrance Test Result Announced

HYDERABAD: The result of MS IAS Academy Entrance Test was published today on MS Education Academy’s website mseducationacademy.in, Managing Director Anwar Ahmed announced this news last night at his office in Hyderabad.

The qualified candidates are called for interview at the following two locations:

Hyderabad:
MS Corporate Office, 10-3-310/1, 3rd Floor,
Castle Hills Technopolis, Hyderabad-500 028
Landmark: Beside NMDC Building, Above Reliance Trendz Building

Delhi:
India Islamic Cultural Centre
87 – 88, Lodhi Road
New Delhi – 110 003

The interview will be held on 24th & 25 August 2019 at Hyderabad and on 31st August & on 1st September 2019 at Delhi.

Click here to view the Result
Click here to view the instructions/guidelines for the candidates
Click here to view the timeline of the admission process

For any clarification, please contact:
Dr. Mohd. Shahid (90300 45422 / 91107 84376)
Quick Solution Department (92480 08022)
Dr. Md. Zafar Iqbal (99593 50222)

A Principal’s day in Canada

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A Principal’s day in Canada

The plain white school building comes to life when the children start pouring into its premises. Mrs Angela Martin looks at the children, her heart swells with love and trepidation at the same time. Mrs Angela is a petite woman in her early 50s, looking at her fragile frame, it is difficult to say the extent of passion she has for the work she does. The weight of the responsibility she bears drives her to give the best she can. She is well aware of how her decisions and actions can impact the lives of the children.

Mayfield School is located in the area which is mostly inhabited by the indigenous population. The issues prevalent among them are not unknown. Drug abuse, gang activities, troubled marriages, divorces, alcoholism are just a few to mention. Children hailing from these families are often seen with behavioural needs. Apart from the indigenous people, the area is home to refugees and immigrants. Mayfield opens its gates wide open to welcome children irrespective of the issues they face, the motto of the school being inclusive education for all reflecting the motto of the government, ‘student comes first’.

Mrs Angela is usually among the first to be at school, coming in as early as 6:45 in the morning, an hour before her staff or students. She doesn’t like missing the opportunity of interacting with students. Children shivering because they do not have warm jackets to beat the subzero temperatures or children dragging themselves with tired eyes, nothing misses her keen eyes. She is usually on a lookout for newspaper ads that inform about a sale or charity drive organised by some generous donor. She herself picks up things that the children in the neighbourhood of the school might need, sometimes it is winter coats or boots or even bikes for the children to ride to the school. She not only brings them to school but also personally checks the fit to make sure that the children get what they need.

The EAs (Education Assistants) along with the Vice Principal, monitor children during breaks and recess with walkie talkies in their hands like an indomitable team. Children with ADHD and behavioural needs throw unthinkable challenges. A little child from a refugee family had come along with his sister on his first day to school, the hustle-bustle of the campus and panorama of new faces must have left him shocked, and the little explorer took off in no time and was nowhere to be seen. Mrs Angela was soon seen with a map of the school in her hand, directing the EAs to different gates and streets of the neighbourhood, while his sister was asked to rush home and look for her brother. The boy was soon found in his home too bewildered to respond.

Not only such cases, but Mrs Angela is involved in devising customised timetables and lesson plans for every child with behavioural needs or learning challenges. She collaborates with the teachers to provide personalised help to improve reading and math literacy among the students, either by inviting a Math coach or an EA to step in. She regularly checks with the EAs for their progress, looking for improvement and also for scenarios of intervention. She strongly believes that children learn better when they are allowed time to play, so she makes sure that resources are allocated to buy instructive toys for the students. Every classroom has a quiet corner called the break-out room to help students read and relax when they feel overwhelmed or disturbed. School is an inseparable part of the community, Mrs Angela does not leave an opportunity to connect homes with school. Her idea of inviting grandparents to be a part of the reading club was one of her most successful initiatives. Children not only loved seeing their grandparents at school, they also improved their reading by a couple of levels!

The specialists are called to assess the students whenever the need arises and a tailored intervention is provided. The real challenge arises when the parents are reluctant to acknowledge that their child needs help. Mrs Angela not only gathers evidence to convince the parents but also shows utmost patience, kindness and empathy to help parents understand that only a healthy parent-school collaboration can create a better future for the child. She does not shy away from going to their homes, to share her concerns with them.

For help to be provided for students, be it a dedicated EA or a psychologist, breakfast or lunch program for students, Mrs Angela has to manage the budget and justify her demands. A yearly 350 million dollar budget has to reach the deserving students and Mrs Angela makes sure that every penny is spent for the benefit of her students.

Her team is her strength. On every third Saturday of the month Mrs Angela is usually busy sending emails to her staff inviting them for the ‘Ocean side chat’, an informal meeting where her teachers and support staff share their concerns and challenges. Together they come up with creative solutions. The involvement of the entire team in the process of decision making ensures that the efforts of every team member are directed towards the Vision of the organization. Mrs Angela is a leader, a guide, a friend for her staff. Mrs Mohiuddin, an EA puts it all in a word when she says that Mrs. Angela is the most approachable leader she has ever met. She is well aware of the fact that only a teacher with a healthy body, heart and mind can aid in holistic development of the child, so she doesn’t leave a stone unturned when it comes to professional development of her teachers, be it art classes, literacy clubs or creativity workshops. What amazes her staff is how Mrs Angela injects every session with loads of witty humour making every session a unique learning experience.

The Principal’s office is most often found unoccupied. Throughout the day Mrs Angela is on foot, receiving calls from the teachers for assistance, helping students finish their lunch, wear their winter coats before going out to play, cleaning the premises, even helping them board the busses or dropping them home when the need arises. All the while, talking and interacting with students assuring them that Mayfield is a home away from home.

Her day has not yet ended, scores of emails, loads of paperwork, planning for days to come, all await her, it’s usually 6 in the evening by the time she is able to wrap it all up. But when she leaves for home and reflects she feels warmth of contentment engulf her and motivate her to wake up again at 4 in the morning ready to take the challenges of the coming day head-on, after all, students do come first!

As reported by an Education Assisstant working in an Elementary School in Canada.

Sabahath Fatima, Research Associate
MS Education Academy, Hyderabad, India.

Significance of fasting on the Day of ‘Arafat

‘Arafat – a hillside and plain, also called the Jabl-e-Arafat is located about 12.5 miles from Makkah. It is of great significance to all Muslims across the globe. The 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah is regarded as the day of Arafah and is of great prominence due to multitude reasons, the prime being, the belief that on this very day at Mount Arafat our beloved Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him), delivered his famous last sermon. The Day of Arafat falls on the second day of observance of pilgrimage to Hajj.

After the dawn of this blessed Day, millions of pilgrims set out for ‘Arafat’ from Mina. The Muslims who are not on the pilgrimage regard this blessed day to reconnect with Allah by fasting and repentance. The whole day of ‘Arafat’ from dawn till dusk has to be devoted for supplications, tilawath, prayers and seeking Allah’s forgiveness. This day is full of blessings and forgiveness in abundance from Allah.

It comes to our knowledge from a Hadith, wherein, Abu Qatadah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Arafat (9th of Dhul-Hijjah), whereupon he said: “It expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year”. —Sahih Muslim 6:2603.

The supplication to be recited on this day at ‘Arafat’ is:
Laa ilaaha ill – allahu, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer.
Translation: There is none worthy of worship besides Allah alone, He has no partner, to Him alone belongs supreme authority and praise, and He has power over everything. — At-Tirmidhi: 5:504

The Muslims those who are not on the pilgrimage emphasize on reciting Tasbeeh-e-Tashriq:
Allahu akbar Allahu akbar Laa ilaaha ill – allahu wallahu akbar Allahu akbar wa lillahil hamd.
Translation: Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no God but Allah. And Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.

In one another saying the Prophet’s wife Hafsah, May Allah be pleased with her, said:
“Four things the Messenger of Allah never neglected. Observing fast on the day of ‘Ashura, ‘Arafat, three days every month, and offering Fajr Sunnah prayers early in the morning.” —Muslim.

This hadith states to us that fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah is Sunnah, and so it adds up to the significance of its importance. Another hadith states that our (deen) religion of Islam was perfected and completed on this very Day of ‘Arafat.

According to Islamic tradition, Reported by Tariq bin Shibab: some Jews said, “Had this verse been revealed to us, we should have taken that day as ‘Eid (festival)”.
Umar (ra) said, “What verse?”
They said: “This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”. [Quran 5.3] ‘Umar (ra) said, “I know the place where it was revealed; it was revealed while Allah’s Apostle was staying at ‘Arafat”. [Sahih Bukhari 5:59:689].

Henceforth, this article was intended to enlighten the significance of fasting on the day of ‘Arafat and devoted supplication for purging of sins. May Allah give us the ability to fast on this day, elevate our faith; accept our prayers, and also give every muslim the tawfeeq to perform Hajj in the forthcoming years. Ameen.

MSians bag prizes in COVA Competition

Hyderabad: MSians bagged prizes under various categories at 17th Inter-School and Inter-Collegiate Debate Competition organized by COVA under the theme “Violence in Society Kills the Nation”.

MS Junior College (Charminar Boys Branch) students have won two prizes in the competition:
1)The Eight member team comprising Sameer Alam, Md. Muzammil, Kashif Ahmed, Mohd. Khaja Mohiuddin Ayan, Yusuf, M .A. Aziz, and Mir Rayan Ali won 1st prize in One Act Play and 2) Abdullah Khaleel got 2nd prize in the Debate Competition.

MS Creative School (Akbarbagh Boys Branch) students have won five prizes in the competition:
1) Hamza Ali got 1st prize in Declamation English, 2) Huzaifa got 1st prize in Telugu Debate, 3) Abdul Raheem got 3rd prize in Hindi Debate, 4) Abdul Bari got 2nd prize in Poster-making, and 5) Zainul Abeedin Ehtesham got 3rd prize in the Quiz.

MS Creative School (Muradnagar Girls Branch) students have won two prizes in the competition:
1) Dania and Areeba (9th Olympias) got 2nd prize in the Quiz, and 2) Marwa Zaheer ( 9G ) got 3rd prize in Poster-making.

The competition was held at Jawahar Bal Bhavan at Hyderabad, Telangana on 6th of August 2019. Senior Director Moazzam Hussian was the special guest at the prize distribution ceremony.

The Real Essence of Sacrifice in Eid-ul-Azha

Of the two holy days offered to Muslims by Allah (swt), one that is the day of Bakra Eid/ Eid-ul-Azha is arriving soon. On such an auspicious occasion, it is an obligation on Muslims to offer sacrifice. The sacrifice of an animal in the name and for the sake of Allah. There comes a question in my mind, but what is sacrifice? Sacrifice in its true sense is an act of worship in the way of Sunnah.

The Companions [Sahabah] [may Allah be pleased with them] once asked the Last Prophet [peace be upon him]: “O Prophet of Allah! What really is Qurbani?”, the Prophet [peace be upon him] replied: “It is the Sunnah [practise] of your father, Prophet Ibrahim [peace be upon him], then the Sahabah asked “What are the rewards in it for us?”, the Prophet [peace be upon him] replied: “There is a reward for every hair of the sacrificial animal”, Sahabah then asked: “One reward for each animal in the whole group??”, the Last Prophet [peace be upon him] replied” “No, No! Rewards for each and every single hair on the body of each sacrificial animal!! Not just one reward for one animal”. [Ibn-e-Majah 3127]

And if we deeply introspect our way of sacrifices, we will realize that we don’t perform a sacrifice, we enact on a ritual. Thus, does this kind of sacrifice gain us any ajr (reward) from Allah? Verily not. What makes us a Muslim is that we don’t just perform a ritual and celebrate the festival, but we worship and sacrifice. It is of no surprise to us, we already know, and we ourselves remain engaged in the market for shopping and so on, especially on the night before the Eid. While the same night is among the five significant and holy nights, of which it is said that if anyone stands in worship in front of Allah, to please Him and seek rewards, paradise becomes obligatory (wajib) on him.

It comes in the traditions that the Last Prophet [peace be upon him] said: “Whoever stands up (in worship) in the nights preceding the two Eids expecting rewards from his Lord, his heart will not die when the other hearts will die.” [Ibn Majah]

Remember, the night before the Eid and also the day of Eid is the time for worship. It is also of no astonishment, we tend to spend more on clothing and shopping even on the occasions of Eid, instead of spending on charity and sacrifice. This also comes in one of the hadith, the most desired wealth in front of Him is that which is spent on sacrifice. Admittedly, it is an indication of our low or feeble Imaan, lack of purview on the rewards that have been promised by Allah that has formed our priorities in such a way. It is compulsory for every Muslim, to gain understanding about every deed that you do or wish to do and rewards that have been promised for it by Allah (swt) on the performance of that deed, acquiring that knowledge and belief will eventually cause progress in your acts and makes you closer to Allah (swt).

Imagine, what it meant as a sacrifice in the scenario of prophet Ibrahim (as), to sacrifice his own beloved son. And what Allah has rewarded him with. That makes the spirit of sacrifice alive in front of us. And what do we do? We on a day before or just the night before the Eid go to the market, haggle with the sellers for the prices, get them home and perform the ritual of Eid-ul-Azha. Wherein the true spirit of sacrifice would be to sacrifice the heart, our love over the love of Allah. To get the sacrificial animal, way before the day of Eid, develop attachment and love between the animal and us, so that when we sacrifice it, we must feel. When we hold a feeble sort of faith in the promises of Allah, only then worship would become a burden to us. Let us sacrifice from hearts, obsequiously and with a heart.

Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] once said: “That whosoever is capable of performing Qurbani but he does not perform, then such a person should not come close to my Eidgah [place where the Eid Salah is offered].” [Ibn-e-Mjah 2123], [Ahmad 8273].

The true meaning of Qurbani/sacrifice would be, to perform a deed, intended to please and get nearer to Allah, in the way He likes, and if in any way otherwise would not account as worship.

Hazrat Umar [ra] used to say: “Without belief in the rewards that Allah has promised us on the performance of good deeds, there is no reward”. And in our contemporary Muslim world, we spend lavishly on marriages, clothing and all sorts of desires. Perhaps, all of which will only further take us away from Allah. But people don’t have faith in these things.

Occasions of Eid are but opportunities bestowed upon us by the mercy of Allah to do ibaadah and earn His rewards. Unfortunately, we are found in markets, instead of in a state of ibaadah. And it is commanded that people decorate their day of Eid, by proclaiming the greatness of Allah.

“ZAYYINU AYYADAKUM BITTAKBIR”
“Adorn your Eid’s by proclaiming the greatness of Allah”.

Last Prophet [peace be upon him] told Hazrath Fathima [daughter of the Prophet, May Allah be pleased with her]: “O Fathima! Stand up towards your qurbani and give your qurbani yourself because even before the blood of the sacrificial animal falls to the ground, all your past sins will be forgiven”. The Sahabah [ra] asked “Is this superiority [of a reward for each and every single hair on the body of the sacrificial animal] exclusively to you, your family and us or for everyone?”, The Prophet [peace be upon him replied] “No! This reward is for each and every single Muslim.” “Who all? Each and every single Muslim” [Attargheeb wattarheeb 2/103]. And then the Prophet [peace be upon him] said: “O Fathima!, On the day of Judgment, the meat of the sacrificial animal will be weighed on your scales and Allah will increase its weight on to 70 times its original!!” and 70 here means countless. Yes, 70 times! So if you want Allah to increase that reward and if you want more and more of that, then here in this world, buy a weighty sacrificial animal, not a frail, weak animal which looks as if it is about to die.
Give sacrifice with happiness, fondness and with all your heart. Only if the person has some love for the sacrificial animal, it would then amount to sacrifice.

“You shall never attain righteousness unless you spend from what you love.”
[3:92]

It also gives us an abstruse and very profound message that no love must subdue the love of Allah in our hearts. The wisdom behind this act of worship is a brilliant design with a subtle message that our heart owes to Allah and Allah alone, none but other than Him. Whosoever or whatsoever else comes between the Creator and the created, or any desire or passion burgeon more in our heart then it is to be sacrificed for the sake of love of Allah. It was evident from the love of Prophet Ibraheem (as) for Allah, that on His command, he readily agreed upon the test of sacrificing his own beloved son Ismaeel (as). On the day of Eid-ul-Azha, we perform the sacrifice of an animal, to remark his [Ibraheem’s (as)] noble and remarkable act of sacrificing our love over the love of Allah. Though the law is to perform the sacrifice of an animal, but the insightful message is to surrender our hearts, only then will it become worship, or else its nothing more than a ritual. Our heart belongs to Allah alone, and Allah loves such sacrifices.
Its reported from Hazrath Ayesha [may Allah be pleased with her] that the Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] said: “The most desired deed that Allah loves is qurbani, flowing of blood through the deed of sacrifice, there is no other deed more desired deed than this for Allah” [Tirmidhi 1493]. And on the Day of Judgment, this same sacrificial animal with its horns, its hairs, etc will appear before us in the same way it was sacrificed. So, Allah has promised rewards over this.

The simple synthesis of this article:

Importance and rewards of sacrifice
Sacrifice – a ritual or worship?
It enlightens the abstruse and profound message behind sacrifice.

May Allah forgive us, elate us in the purview of our deeds, let our intentions set right and accept our sacrifice as a worship. Aameen.

To slaughter a camel or a sheep,
Is to make a heart weep,
Rip the love of all and dip the love of God deep,
If this, is not the true essence of a sacrifice,
Tell me, then what is?

~Syed Mukhtar Razi~