Senior citizens are valuable resources for us. We cannot deny their essential role in our lives. In this context, an esteemed grandparent of our students related the account of her incredible journey in the field of education.
Ms Mumtaz Begum
My name is Mumtaz Begum Arshad. I am 87 years old and I am the grandmother of Dania Waseem and Musa Harral who are studying at Beaconhouse Bahria Town Campus, Lahore. I acquired my Master’s Degree in Geography from Punjab University in 1955. Then I was appointed as a lecturer at Queen Mary’s College, Lahore. When I got married, I went to England with my husband and there I decided to take admission to a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. I applied for the equivalence of my degree. It was found that the Master’s Degree from Punjab University was equal to the Master’s Degree in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
They were surprised, ‘How is it possible that the degree in your country is equivalent to a degree in our country?’ I told him, ‘Haven’t you heard the BBC News that today my university is celebrating its hundred years and your university is only 70 years old. That’s why.’
The next step was to apply for the interview. I had to take an interview with the registrar who asked me to appear for an interview for three hours about why I wanted to be a teacher in England. He took the interview and at the end of the interview he said, ‘Well, Mrs Arshad, you have qualified for admission but I don’t think the British girls would like to be taught by you.’
I immediately said, ‘Well, Mr Jones, then you will have to change your faith because the Christ was brown like me and he was not white like you. Moreover, he was an Asian.’
He felt so embarrassed that he granted me admission to the Post Graduate Diploma in Education. I completed it and I taught Geography at Cardiff High School for Girls to O Levels and A Levels for five years. Then we came back to Pakistan and I became a lecturer at Punjab University IER.
This is the powerful story of a woman in a foreign country.