Al Ahmadiya School in Dubai turns 100. Former student Bilal Al Budour takes us on a tour of his old school and recalls the early days of his education in the UAE. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00It has been 100 years since this courtyard welcomed the first batch of pupils who wanted
00:13to learn how to read and write.
00:17Established in 1912 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Mohammed bin Dalmukh, the Al-Ahmadiyya school
00:23was constructed in three phases.
00:28It all began with 11 classrooms and a kitchen, where drinking water was made available for
00:33the pupils.
00:35Further additions like the upper floor and the barjil or the wind tower came between
00:421920 and 1922.
00:44Today, this school building is a standing testimony to the foundation of an education
00:50system in the UAE.
00:52Over the years, many have graduated from these classrooms and have moved on in their lives.
01:00But there are some who come back to relive their happy memories of their early education.
01:06One such pupil is Bilal Al-Budur, Vice-Chairman of Cultural and Scientific Association, Dubai.
01:22The Al-Ahmadiyya school is a return to the roots, a return to the stage of formation,
01:30a return to the stage of beginnings, especially when I move between the classes that once
01:40included a group of friends and acquaintances.
01:45When I look at the small classroom now, which was occupied at that time by 300 students,
01:59all of them came to receive education in a simple life.
02:07The Al-Ahmadiyya school was founded in 1331 Hijri, which is equivalent to 1912,
02:21but it went through some stages.
02:24In one of these stages, Sheikh Mohammed Noor, may God have mercy on him, was the head
02:29of this school.
02:31I have visited the school more than once before.
02:34This school will remain connected to the memory of man in our existence
02:40because it is the stage from which it was founded.
02:44Today, the classrooms, corridors and the courtyard of Al-Ahmadiyya school
02:48still comes to life with the laughter and chatter of visiting pupils
02:53who are able to catch a glimpse of the beginnings of education in the UAE.
02:57Sunita Menon, Gulf News.
03:04Thank you very much.