Positive step IFS officer Shafiullah
IFS officer Shafiullah sets a new benchmark for the minority residential schools in the state
The Telangana Minority Residential schools have turned out to be a game changer. Long starved of quality education, schools in the government sector are now looking up, setting new benchmarks of excellence.
When Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao presented the excellence award to B Shafiullah, secretary, Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) recently, he was only giving credit where it is due. KCR's decision to take the young officer out of the woods to man his flagship programme has proved right. In a short span of two years, Shafiullah has given a whole new meaning and thrust to minority education in the region.
“It is all a team work. The credit goes to each and every officer," says a humble Shafiullah.
An IFS officer of 2003 batch, Shafiullah didn’t know what he was walking into when he was given additional charge of running the minority residential schools in January 2016. He started from scratch literally — creating TMREIS, framing its bye-laws, identifying buildings for schools, recruiting teaching and non-teaching staff. “I studied the social welfare hostels pattern but didn’t copy it as expectations and needs of minorities are totally different," he says.
Residential schools is a new concept for minorities and motivating parents to send their children, particularly girls, was the biggest challenge.
Shafiullah and his team employed all the tactics — they appealed, persuaded and cajoled parents. NGOs, community leaders, public representatives and even Masjid Imams were roped into the campaign.
Today a whopping 48,000 students are studying in 206 schools across the state. And the number is growing.
Interestingly, while Shafiullah is imparting education to minorities, his wife, Priyanka Verghese, is a campaigner for spreading greenery in the state. Also an IFS officer, she is OSD in CMO and in-charge of another dream project of KCR — Harita Haram. Shafiullah and Priyanka have two children — Rehan and Shireen.
Implementing major flagship programmes of the government, both have hectic schedules. But at the end of the day, they are satisfied with the nature of their work. Their mission: Leave it better than you found it.
-J.S.Ifthekhar,
Hyderabad based journalist.
Article published in The Hindu,
Dated 22nd of August, 2017.
