TERM 2000-2003

Striving for Excellence in Education

Striving for Excellence in Education, a Call-to-Action for the Term of Education - 2000-2003.

By the President of The World Federation, Dr. Hasnain Walji, at the First Executive Council Meeting held on 27th. January 2001 at Stanmore gave a Call-to-Action

Mission Statement

“To ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence and love of knowledge in every field throughout the community”

Preamble:

Today’s society has little room for those who cannot read, write and learn new technologies, skills and occupations and our community is not immune from this. We must be alive to this fact and provide every opportunity for our community to master all the modern technical skills and at the same time have an interest in the whole range of human wisdom and creativity which deals with life and death, beauty and truth, sincerity and compassion.

During this term, which has been declared as the Term of Education, the World Federation has set the following priorities and targets:

1. Availability of quality Primary and Secondary education. Target: All Community Schools
2. By eighteen years of age, our boys and girls are prepared for placement in institution of higher learning or vocational training centers. Target: All Between Ages of 18-25.
3. Drive towards a technologically literate community. Target: All Jamaats.
4. Special provision for gifted children and students of outstanding abilities. Targets: All Jamaats.
5. Special provisions for children with hearing and other disabilities. Target: All Jamaats
6. Promoting Adult Education. Target: All Jamaats
7. Intellectual Social and Emotional Integration. Target: Students in Western Universities.

Meeting these seven priorities requires action on all fronts to ensure that the greatest number of people buy into the vision we need to implement. Our Greatest Challenge is convincing the Community to buy into this vision

Fund for higher education, in our community, dates back to the fifties. However, the amount of money given for education is not increasing as fast as the need. Individual support is lagging while the expectation from WF is growing.

Despite these constraints, the World Federation, through its Jaffery Education Scheme and the Zainabiya Child Sponsorship has had a very creditable performance both in basic and higher education. During this tern WF needs to invest even greater resources in education for our young men as well as women, both in the East and the West, to ensure that they do not lag behind for the want of means and facilities.

At the same time, those who were given education loans have started to pay back. By there are many who are not paying back. By encouraging more and more of these ex-students to repay and even contribute, Inshallah WF can redeploy these funds for more loans.