A two-decade old madrassa in Jaipur has given us a reason to smile in these times of perceived increasing polarisation.
The madrassa began with just 50 students in the 1980s. But today, it has turned into a higher secondary school. What’s more, it now has a Hindu principal, Kailash Chandra Yadav, heading it. Yadav was previously associated with RSS’s Aadarsh Vidhya Mandir.
Rehmani Model School, with the current strength of around 1,300 students and 63 teachers – majority of them Muslims – had its first non-Muslim teacher in 1995. Of the 63 teachers, only nine, including the principal are Hindus, as mentioned in an exclusive report by The Times of India.
Yadav, the school’s first non-Muslim principal, however is facing a challenge. As per the report, he is finding it extremely difficult to inspire parents to send their children to the school. This is because most students come from a poor financial background and parents feel education is not important.
Yadav told TOI that at first, he found it a little weird to work for a Muslim school but soon got accustomed to the work environment. He added that he was glad to be able to help students who come from a community that is often deprived of these facilities.
“To me, the educational qualification of teachers matters, not their affiliations or their religion,” Yadav told TOI. He also mentioned that just like in any other school in the country, his school too celebrated Eid, Holi and Diwali.
Watch a video of the school here: