Parveen Rabadi left Lahore in 1974 to join the Mama Parsi Girls’ High School in Karachi – little did she know that the love and affection of being part of the school’s legacy would not let her go back.
By Noman Ahmed | The Express Tribune
“It has been a very challenging journey but now when I look back, I feel an assurance from within that my time with this school has taught me a lot,” Rabadi, the headmistress at the school’s afternoon shift since 1991, said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Rabadi and her team of 39 teachers cater to around 700 girl students in the shift.
“I was a simple and inexperienced young lady, even a crybaby at times,” Rabadi said with a chuckle, recalling her early time at the school. “But I credit all the qualities that I find in myself today to the school and my colleagues. They taught me how to take on challenges and face hardships.”
She was employed as a primary teacher in 1974.
Over the years, she has taught multiple subjects, from secondary classes up to O’ level. Rabadi had the honour of working with three different principals – Mani Sheriar Contractor, Zarine Tehmurasp Mavalvala and Furengeez D Tampal.
Currently, she is one among the 17 faculty members who have been serving the school with their academic expertise for more than 35 years.
“The children and even grandchildren of the girls I have taught are now at Mama Parsi,” she said with a smile.
Rabadi also shared the praises she has received from parents who wish to transfer their children to the Mama Parsi School from other reputable institutions. “They say that Mama ki baat aur hai [in a league of its own].”
She candidly stated that the school offered its services without any sense of grandeur to charge exorbitant fees or make the parents feel like kings and queens. “For all these years, we have been doing it with utmost honesty and have never compromised on it.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2013.