There are hardly any teachers from the Muslim community in public schools, Fasih Alam is one of those few Muslim teachers
Fasih Alam Mian of Ratuwamai Municipality-2 Doria village in East Morang is about to turn 60 years old. He has been teaching in local schools as a village teacher for more than four decades. He has been teaching in the village's old Doria primary school since 2040, which was established in 2009.
There are hardly any teachers from the Muslim community in community schools. Fasih Alam is one of those few Muslim teachers. He was appointed as a contract teacher in Doria Province of the then Jhurkia govt on 16 February 040. He became permanent on 1st December 2048.
This village is the old thatthalo of Mian. His 15th generation was born in this village. He received his primary education from a village school. At that time his relative brother Abdul Rahim was the headmaster. He used to take Mian to school by holding her hand. There was no nearby school in the village to study after 5th grade.
From 6th grade, he crossed the border to study in India. Matriculated from Araria in Vihar. He could come from Bahadurganj in Vihar. He returned home after finishing his studies. That's when Dai Abdul asked him to teach. Mian was the only one in the village studying IA at that time. The principal's brother had also done SLC only later. After 20 years as a headmaster, Abdul turned to politics.
Mian embraced the teaching profession. At first he was able to speak Nepali language. Growing up in India, he mostly spoke Hindi, either mother tongue. "It was very difficult to teach in the beginning," Mian remembered those days, "later I got used to it." It took him about 2 years to speak the Nepali language well.
When he started teaching, there was no school building. He himself was even worse at the time of his studies. The school used to be wrapped in a normal rope. The students did not have drakes, benches. Students used to bring bags from home. He used to lie on the floor. He used to write in the dust.
According to Mian, Ratuwamai area was former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's constituency. When Koirala became the Prime Minister, he helped in the construction of the school building.
'Only after Girija Prasad's help was the concrete building built for the first time,' he said. At that time, the thatched roof was replaced with zinc sheets. Villagers used to come to the school just to see the leaves.
Mian is the fourth child among 7 siblings. There were 10 members in the family including 3 sisters. The family never encouraged him to read much. But he fulfilled his wish. He has been running a school for teaching for four decades. The school now has 6 teachers.
6 people teach 125 students. He is the oldest teacher. The number of students from the Muslim community is more in his school. He teaches Social Studies to Class 4 and 5, Serofero to Class 2 and 3 and Nepali to Class 1 students. "Now teaching Nepali is not as difficult as before," he said with a laugh, "I have mastered the rhythm."
