KARACHI: “When I retire, I will really miss this, ‘Wa Alaikumussalam’,” said principal of Habib Girls School Nargis Alvi after receiving a prompt reply following her wishing the pupils at the celebration of the school’s 50th year of founding here on Tuesday.

First came the little girls with the golden alphabet placards to stand in proper sequence that read ‘50 Golden Years’, then came the ones waving the silver and magenta pompoms followed by colourful balloons and confetti. The students in their beige, brown and white uniforms and the old girls in normal clothes all enjoyed themselves while remembering their teachers and principals over the years. All four sections, pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher secondary paid tribute to their alma mater.

“Looking back, my heart fills with joy. I joined Habib Girls as a teacher in 1974 when this school was only 10 years old and today it is 50,” said Ms Alvi as the girls clapped after her every sentence she finished.

“Please do not clap after every sentence I speak. I have been given five minutes to speak and this way I will have to stop each time you clap and never be able to finish,” said the popular principal. The children clapped again.

“The Habib Girls School in 2005 was given the Best School Award by the directorate of education after our students continuously got over 80 per cent marks and earned ‘A’ and ‘A-1’ grades in board examinations. Ms Dossal, our first principal, who is in Canada now, used to say that if one student got a position then it is that student’s effort, but if so many are doing it and doing it again and again then it is the teachers’ effort,” said the principal who also has the honour of getting the Best Principal award by the directorate of education.

In 2010, the Habib Girls College got affiliated with the Aga Khan Board. On the occasion of the 50th year of founding, the institution also honoured Afshan Hussain of their higher secondary section for securing the first position all over Pakistan in the higher secondary examination of the AKU Board in 2013-14 and Maleeka Mahmood of the same section, who brought laurels home in 2012-13.

Finally, Muslim Habib, managing trustee of the Habib Education Trust, joined the principal and senior teachers to cut the cake.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014