Wellbeing Exclusive

Tell us about your childhood?

I was born in London but my family moved to the south of England when I was just two years old. We were a very loving close knit family, I have one sister. Sadly both of my parents passed away. My father passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 98 after having lived here with us in Dubai for more than fifteen years. I was brought up in a small community, where everybody knew each other. I had a very normal, simple childhood, I always felt very loved and cherished. It was a time which was very innocent for children compared to today.

Were you naughty or shy? What were your hobbies?

I was a very shy child. My hobbies were reading and I loved cycling.

What did you like to read more? Fiction or nonfiction?

I liked both fiction and nonfiction, I remember one of my favourite books was “The lion and the witch and the wardrobe” I loved the Enid Blyton adventure stories too, again the innocence of books that were available to read as young children at that time were very different from what you see in bookshops now. As a child I read more for pleasure, now I read for both knowledge and pleasure.

Any childhood memory, you would like to share with us?

I had a very simple childhood, family holidays and family meals were always very special and important family occasions, I’ve continued this mealtime habit with the family - at six o’clock if you are at home whether you’re hungry or not you sit at the dining table whether you eat or not, you sit with the rest of the family and definitely no devices allowed, family dinners would often go on for an hour or more just talking and catching up.

”My biggest pleasure is following the students’ personal progress, development and growth from being a small toddler to fine young adults ready to face the challenges of the outside world “

Who was an aspiration to you when you were growing up?

My parents and my teachers. My mother became blind when I was five years old and despite that I had a very normal childhood where my mother still kept house, cooked ,cleaned and sewed, despite what happened to her and she just got on with it and it's something that I very much admired and it also made me have more compassion towards inclusion.

What do you think are the future challenges of education?

I’m very concerned about the future of education. The world is taking us to a place that everybody’s worried about. The challenges of artificial intelligence and IT and what our students are exposed to (even if they are not looking). We’re bombarded with values that are not the values of our parents or our religion or our school, it's like a tidal wave. I think that education is going to get even more high-tech very quickly. In the future, what I would love to see is that all students have equal opportunities for an outstanding education, that classes are going to have teachers but the person introducing and explaining the lesson is going to be a virtual person delivering an outstanding lesson and the teachers in class will be there to support the children if needed.

What qualities do you try to develop in the children of your school?

Beside Academics, to be a good, honest, compassionate human being. I always tell the students ``be proud of what you believe in, where you come from and who you are`` because there is still a lot of prejudice around the world but values - (whatever religion ) are similar. Leadership skills, self confidence, public speaking, charity, community service etc are very important too.

What advice you would like to give to your students and to their parents?

Money will come and go in life. Give your children their deen and a good education, if they have those two things they will carry them through life and to the akhirah.