Hajiya Rakiya Tukur is an educationist, who specialises in the child daycare aspect of education. She trained in the UK and came back to set up the Al-Haleem international schools located in Surulere, Lagos. She is a very sociable person, but COVI-19 has forced her to reduce those activities.
Hajiya Tukur is a member of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), the Association for Early Childhood Educationists, the Association for Model Islamic Schools.
Her school clocked 30 on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021, and it was celebrated in a big way at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. At that event, she had a chat with City People’s DAMILARE SALAMI (08155134152). Excerpts below.
Congratulations on this great feat. How do you feel about celebrating the 30th anniversary of Al-Hameen International Schools?
I feel grateful to the Almighty Allah for sparing my life and making me see the 30th anniversary of my school. I appreciate Him, I adore him, I feel so great today. It is none of my making but His. I thank the Almighty God for His protection and for making me be in good health with my great friends, the NAPPS members, family members, staffers and well-wishers.
Let me take you down memory lane. How did Al-Hameen start 30 years ago?
The journey started 30 years ago when I returned from the UK after studying child daycare; I started with a daycare with one daycare attendant. But then, parents started coming to request nursery and primary school and when the pressure became so much, the attendant told me that we couldn’t keep turning them down. So, I had to give in. We started giving pupils admission to the nursery to primary and people’s enquiry increased and so was the number of pupils and I got good hands to manage the business.
Picking it up from there, how have you been able to handle the business for the past 30 years and it is still waxing stronger till now?
It is to the glory of God. I cannot say that this or that is what I did that is still making us to stand till this time. But I know that we have some people who we respect and trust. They always advise and pray for us. It is their prayers that have kept us standing. They have gone a long way to assist us, that is why we are still able to stand till now.
Why do you think prospective parents should bring their children to Al-Hameen schools?
First, we take very good care of children at Al-Hameen. Second, we give them a balanced and sound education. We are an Islamic oriented school, so we teach sound doctrines of Islam. Although we have some Christian children among us, but 80 percent of our pupils are from Muslim parents while about 20 percent are Christians. We have Mary, John, Chinedu and others and alhamdulillah, we are able to meet up the demands of their goals.
Tell us about your teachers, especially those who have been with you for so long…
They are so valuable to me. They are always trying their best in ensuring that our pupils come out best in all areas of life. I really appreciate them and it is only God who can reward them for bringing out the best in our pupils.
How did you survive COVID-19 as a school?
As a school, it wasn’t quite easy for us, but we thank God we were able to survive. The teachers understood and accepted the token we gave them monthly and when normalcy was restored, they started receiving their full salaries.
What’s your message to parents and pupils of this great school?
To the parents, I want to say a very big thank you because most of them are around today. I want to say a big thank you to our old parents too for their unflinching support over the years. And I wish them God’s protection and mercies wherever they find themselves.
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