This essay was written by Owais, a boy in Class 7 at Pearl Valley Public School in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). It was shared with Quest for Education (now Quest for Education Foundation) by our partner, the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF). The date it was written is not recorded. We reproduce it in Owais’s own words, with one short passage omitted.
In Owais’s words
Pearl Valley Public School, a school of everyone’s dream, a project of Kashmir Education Foundation, was founded on 14th August 1996. This school, which is a combined effort of KEF and Khan family, is a boon from heavens for the people of Pearl Valley. I was admitted to this school in April 2000 and considered myself to be on[e of] the luckiest boys of the valley, as this is one of the schools every child wishes to attend.
I still remember the first time I stepped inside the grounds of the school. My feelings were a mixture of anxiety, nervousness and fear. I was also a little angry with my parents as I had no intentions of going to school. I also thought this school would be like other schools, where teachers are strict and run after students with sticks to discipline them. Today when I think about that time I feel very silly because now I know that school is more or less like heaven.
My first few days at school were nerve-wracking but the teachers made me feel so comfortable I didn’t want to go home. I learned, and I am still learning, so much about the world, that I couldn’t have possibly learned in any other school. From my first year at school, I learned that life is not a bed of roses and there are difficulties we have to face at every corner, but my teachers were very encouraging and were a beacon of hope for me. As Helen Keller once said: “never bend your head always hold it high and look the world straight in the eyes.” I learned that this means we should never give up when life becomes hard but instead be brave and face our problems courageously. My teachers encouraged me to be bold and gave me the confidence to face the world on my own.
This school gave me a glimpse of what my future can really be and also brought out my hidden talents. […]
Like other schools, my school is equipped with laboratories and computers but also includes uncommon things like a TV Room, Mathematics Resource Room, Listening Lab and a library with more than ten thousand books. Above all my school is surrounded by a pleasant environment, far away from the main city so the students have no difficulty studying because they can concentrate easily. This school is a mine of facilities for the children of the valley.
Today, as I look at the huge school building, I remember the old building and when I first set foot inside the grounds of the school. Since I began attending Pearl Valley Public School, I have grown a lot and my teachers are now my friends. This school has changed my life and has taught me that working hard is the key to being successful.
About Pearl Valley Public School
Pearl Valley Public School was KEF’s first school, established on 14 August 1996. What stands out in Owais’s essay is not the buildings but the teachers: the patience that turned a nervous, reluctant boy into a confident pupil. That is the kind of teaching we want every child in the valley to have. Read more about Pearl Valley Public School.
Thank you to Owais for sharing his story, and to KEF’s teachers. If you would like to help more children start school with the same confidence, please make a donation.