Old Aga Khan Girls School, Dar se Salaam

Excerpt from Life Actually by Nargis Gercke-Bhatia (at p 91):

“The Aga Khan put a premium on education, and advised us, if parents only had the means to educate one child, the daughter should be given the opportunity, as a mother would be in a better position to teach her children. … I was registered at the Aga Khan Girls’ School [Dar es Salaam] on Mosque Street while [my brother] Dino went to the Aga Khan Boys’ School [Dar es Salaam] which was on Seoul Street.

… now I was back with my Ismaili primary school friends, and I enjoyed being around them a lot. Our headmistress, Miss Fretwell, was British and she tried to merge the best educational practices of the East and the West. School started at 7:45 a.m. and the driver took us just a little before that time to prepare for assembly every morning. Monday mornings were particularly important as it brought the whole school back together after the weekend break, to re-focus on the coming week. We all lined up outside our classroom before being called to join the assembly by grades. I remember watching out for the students from senior classes (grades 9-12) …. When the last student took her position, Miss Fretwell made her morning speech, and then the assembly dispersed. School finished at 1 p.m. when we all went home for lunch.”

https://www.amazon.ca/Life-Actually-Memoirs-Nargis-Gercke-Bhatia/dp/1460222253

Previously on Ismailimail…

Mughal era’s Wazir Khan Mosque Lahore ready to receive tourists Poet Rahim’s tomb Delhi regains its beauty, history and poetry (Ismaili Wedding) A Muslim Romance, Soundtrack by Kanye and Drake | The New York Times (Live Tweets) Ismaili Studies Conference Keynote Address by Dr. Homi K. Bhabha, Director Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University CNN: Artists offer alternative views of Iranian culture at the Aga Khan Museum Toronto Qasida: Ta Surato Paiwande Jahan Bud Ali Bud – Ali the ever present God Loving and God Fearing – Shahista Moez Alidina (Shaykaa)