Mirza Shaukat Ali

While many people may regard highly acclaimed members of the Pakistani community as successful businessmen, they may sometimes miss the other important work those members of our community do. For many individuals within our society business is not everything and there are many things, which need to be done to ensure the future wellbeing of our people.

One person closely involved with the education and community side of our society is (Late) Mirza Shaukat Ali. People of Gujrat call him as “Sir Syed of Gujrat” due to his meritorious services to education for 67 years. He was born on June 09, 1927 at Manshera. He got his early education from Jhelum. Then he moved to Gujrat and graduated from the Zamindar College Gujrat in 1947-48.

At the college, he received many honors and awards for his excellent academic and extra-curricular activities. In the early 40s, he became an active member of the Pakistan movement. He was instrumental in sending an invitation to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah to visit Gujrat. During the visit of Quaid, he had a brief conversation with him. Father of the nation entrusted him with the mission of spreading education as the literacy rate in Gujrat was really low at that time.

After Passing BA with flying colors, he was in severe financial crises, so reluctantly he joined the Government as the Rehabilitation Officer. He was restless as he had already promised with the father of the nation that he would pursue his career as a teacher during his visit to Gujrat. One day, very quietly he left the position and joined the public High School No 1 as a teacher in early 1950s. Meanwhile, he did his MA, BT and BOL. He worked very hard as teacher and showed very good results. In a brief, he was recognized as a first rate teacher and elevated as second teacher. He used to travel on his bicycle to the neighboring villages to bring deserving students to his school. Dr. Amant Ali was brought from Doyian village and he stood first in 1969 in the Sargodha Board; Dr. Pervaiz stood 2nd in the board and Amjad Ali got the 3rd position in the board. Later, students of his school won the first 5 positions in the entire educational board.

He had great command on the English language and its grammar. Many of his students got 149 marks out of the total marks of 150 in the subject of English at the board examinations. He wrote many books on English Grammar to lessen the students’ expenditures on education. His students won the highest number of scholarships in the entire district of Gujrat.

As an educator, Mirza Shaukat Ali set many un-beatable records in education and established a chain of schools for the children of poor and low-income families. Doors of his educational institutions – Public High School No.1 and Shaukat Model Schools remained opened for all regardless of race, color, class and religion during his life time. He was a great speaker, an able writer and a wise thinker. He lived a very simple life, lived like a derwaish and left the world like a Wali Allah. After serving the humanity, voiceless, weak and poor and spreading the blessings of education, this shining star disappeared from the galaxy of education on March 18, 2015 at the Fajir time. He will remain with us due to presence of his millions of students around the globe.