Meet M Nurul Islam, the ‘Sir Syed of West Bengal’

34
M Nurul Islam, the founder of Al-Ameen Mission

By Syed Zubair Ahmad

Education advocate M Nurul Islam, who started coaching seven students in small room of a madrasa where he was a teacher, never knew he would be once compared to great education reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

Advertisement

Through hard work and a commitment towards his moral compass, he was able to set up a learning center which is credited to have produced more than 2400 doctors (MBBS & BDS) and 2500 engineers so far apart from scores of researchers, administrative officers, teachers and professors.

Islam’s journey began in 1986 when he started teaching a group of seven students in a small room of a madrasa in Hawrah district of West Bengal. Now his Al-Ameen Mission has produced more than 2400 doctors (MBBS & BDS) and 2500 engineers apart from scores of researchers, administrative officers, teachers and professors.

Today Al-Ameen Mission has over 17000 residential students and more than 3000 teachers as well as non-teaching staff in their 56 branches across 15 districts of the state.

The main campus of Al-Ameen Mission located  at  Khalatpur village  in Howrah district of West Bengal

It was in 1976 that Nurul Islam, Secretary General of the Al Ameen Mission, set up the Khalatpur Junior High Madrasa when he was still studying his 10th standard. The idea was  educational empowerment of poor and backward minority sections.

The journey was tough and tiresome.  In May 1984, he started the Institute of Islamic Culture, setting up a hostel for the institute in 1986 in the Madrasa building itself with the help of door to door collections of fistful rice in his village, Khalatpur. In January 1987, it was renamed as Al-Ameen Mission.

“I started coaching with 7 students of fifth class in 1986. In 1993 there were 11 students, four became doctors, four became engineers. Then came a feeling of satisfaction that I am doing the right thing. I never looked back,” reminiscences Islam who had revolutionized the concept of education among one of  the most unprivileged community  in one of the most backward region in India.

L-R, Inamul Haque, Nurul Islam and Syed Zubair Ahmad at Khalatpur campus .

“The motto was to give modern education with moral values in a fully residential system where students from all strata of the society, irrespective of their financial condition, would live, learn and grow together,” adds Islam.

The mission of the institute is to “achieve quality and excellence in the field of education and to support meritorious students who are socio-economically disadvantaged, following the principles of Fairness, Equality, Equity and Transparency.”

The main campus of  Al-Ameen Mission is located at Khalatpur (Udaynarayanpur) in Howrah district of West Bengal. It has 56 branches  spread across 15 districts of the state. It has 12000 residential students now. It also runs residential coaching classes for engineering and medicine aspirants across West  Bengal and in neighboring Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Tripura.

The Al-Ameen Mission also has a facility for girls at Khalatpur, Howrah from class fifth to 12th.

Girls hostel at Khalatpur campus

Al- Ameen Mission has bagged many awards for their excellent work in the field of education in West Bengal. They have been winners of The Telegraph School Award for Excellence in 2002 & 2009. The Mission has also been awarded The Telegraph School Award for the best academic performance in competitive examinations in the year 2004 and the Certificate of the Honour in the year 2005, 2006 & 2008. In 2018  Mr. M Nurul Islam also  received  the prestigious ” Banga Bhushan Award” from Mamata Banerjee,the  Chief Minister of West Bengal.

M Nurul Islam receiving the prestigious ” Banga Bhushan Award” from Mamata Banerjee , the chief minister of West Bengal and Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi

The Mission is mostly run by donation and zakat. Muslims throughout the country contribute their zakat to the Mission, which takes care of 25% of seats reserved for poor, destitute and orphans.

A part from education Al-Ameen Mission does charitable works for the Muslim community. It has helped unemployed Muslims with loans and has scholarship programs to help other communities’ needy students.

Al-Ameen gives full financial support up to six months to those needy students of Al-Ameen who get admission in medical colleges.

The Mission has a unique feature of having different fee-structure for the students of different categories depending upon their financial conditions. The students from well to do families pay their fees in full whereas remittance is given to those who can’t pay the full amount. Those, who can’t pay at all, are exempted of all kinds of fees. Moreover, a considerable number of seats are reserved for meritorious orphan students.

At present 5338 students (42%) enjoy half-free studentship and 3432 students (27%) enjoy full free studentship facilities from the Mission.

The flexible fee –structure of the Mission had made it possible for many students from most poor background to achieve their dream and become doctors and engineers.

This year too Al-Ameen Mission has broken all its previous records as its   422 students  cracked NEET,  out of which 128 (30.5%) students are from poor and BPL families, 133 (31.5%) are from middle and upper middle income group and 161 (38%) from lower middle income group.

Above all 62 students of the Mission got AIR within 1500, 147 within 25000, 246 within 35000, 367 within 45000 and 422 within 55000.

Most surprisingly 105 students from Murshidabad and  80 from Malda who were enrolled in different branches of Al-Ameen Mission among those who cracked NEET this year.

Out of 422 qualifiers 360 were boys and 62 girls.

This year in February Al-Ameen Mission Trust has taken up a new project, ‘Al-Ameen Mission Institute for Education Research and Training’. This foundation stone of the institute has been laid in the Newtown. Here, under one roof there will be facilities to provide coaching for the Medical post-graduation course and Residential Training Centre for competitive examinations like IIT,IIM, CLAT,CAT,MAT,UPSC and WBCS. Besides, there will be facilities to train teachers as well as non-teaching staff. Moreover, there would be provision for higher research in different fields of social sciences. In future , it will be the leading center of the Al-Ameen Mission; the Centre  of Excellence, said Islam about his future plan.

Proposed Al-Ameen campus.

34 COMMENTS

    • আপনার একবারে ধারণা নেই যে কাদের কে নোবেল পুরস্কার দেওয়া হয় তাই এরকম বাজে মন্তব্য করেছেন

    • They do! There are many Hindu students in Al Ameen. It’s Hindu mental set-up that we don’t sent our kuds, because of Islamic studies and all. But their doors are open.All Ameen is not alike Madrasa’s. You can compare Ramakrishna mission school types. Main focus is on modern studies.

  1. আপনার এই মিশনের প্রভুত উন্নতি প্রার্থনা করি। যে অর্থে এই উদ্যোগ সত্যিই প্রশংসার্হ, জাতি,ধর্ম নির্বিশেষে এই মিশন এগিয়ে যাক, এই সবিনয় প্রার্থনাও রইল।

  2. Great deed. Thanks to the Almighty, Allah, that we have got such a person like Respected Sir Nurul Islam Saheb, and thanks to him for his service and dedication. Charity begins at home. And then after neighbours and natives. Keep hope. Praying for his long life.

  3. Really,
    Sir Nurul Islam Sb is ” THE SIR SYED AHMED KHAN OF WEST BENGAL “.
    I salute this GREAT MAN for his noble educational works towards the society, with a SILENCE, specially among the underprivileged section of the society.
    Thanks a lot SIR.

  4. As Muslims are highly lagged educationally so Mission emphasizes for Muslim education mainly in residential manner with Islamic culture.But there are many students who are non residential get education from Mission.Poor and meritorious students get scholarship from AAM.

  5. Very good, great work performed by nurul Islam sir,really as per the name he is indeed ” a Noor of Islam” I pray to all mighty Allah to give him best rewards in duniya and aakherat

  6. Great job for the society. Salam to the founder, contributors, helpers, supporters, etc. May God bless all of them. May God bless who got the blessings of this institution.

  7. Tremendous effort.Establishing such a institution speaks volume of dedication.May this institution flourish in all spheres .

  8. Mashaallah very great work & really it is a great achievement to Muslim community student all credit goes to noorull Islam sir dear sir is it not possible 75% Muslim students & 25%other’s minority students for their better education for all community every States need this type of education supporting system it is a just my point of view thank you once again for your success jazakallahuqaira

  9. Alamin mission has been doing a great job for the Muslim community. We have been inspired by it’s initiative and have started to take steps related to upraising the muslims in our kamsar o bar area in Ghazipur.

  10. They do! There are many Hindu students in Al Ameen. It’s Hindu mental set-up that we don’t sent our kuds, because of Islamic studies and all. But their doors are open.All Ameen is not alike Madrasa’s. You can compare Ramakrishna mission school types. Main focus is on modern studies.

  11. In the otherwise darkness people like you are a ray of hope. Keep it Sir, Almighty Allah will give you the real award hereafter. INSHAALLAH. Muslim Mirror also deserves our appreciation for covering such wonderful story.

  12. A great achievement in the field of education. Wish all round development of the institution. My praise and congratulations to the great organisers, teachers students and guardians.

  13. “Knowledge is power”. Knowledge is light.” Knowledge is virtue.” The word ‘READ’ is the introductory word of the faith, Islam. The prophet of Islam once said, to acquire knowledge, if needed, go far away place. A person of true knowledge never hates, harasses, divides, discriminates, damns, demeans, deceives, decries, quarrels and kills, or rather steadfastly endeavor to unite, assemble and inspire to engage in unleashing the immense potentials of excellence cast in the core with the whole humankind. I heartily congratulate Jonab Nurul Islam Saheb and sincerely pray for his good health, long life and sublime peace so that he continues to serve the entire human kind more and more, Day after day, year after year and decade after decade.

  14. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE MULTIDIMEMTIONAL IN COHRENT FIELD OF EDUCATION.
    Prof.Zia Ur Rehman Siddiqui Dept of Urdu AMU Aligarh

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here