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| Vice-Chancellor Dr. Hassan Hameed addressing the Students |
Sessions were conducted at 11:30am and 12:30pm for students and staff respectively. Dr. Hassan Hameed, the VC of MNU, in his address to students and staff, narrated the story of his childhood and said he is very closely linked to this island Ihavandhoo; his father was from this island. He also insisted students should study with higher motives and intentions and told an inspired story of Dr. Abdul Kalaam, the prominent rocket scientist and former Indian President . Also emphasized the importance of self -couragement to develop oneself.
I write this message of gratitude to thank Firaz and other staff of Ihavandhoo Madharusaa for the very warm and gracious welcome given to MNU delegates. I had met HE President Nasheed five days earlier, who had mentioned the great strides Ihavandhoo Madharusaa had made in the recent years in producing SSC/OL results that other schools can only dream of. I congratulate the staff and students for their keen interest in teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteI found Ihavandhoo to be rather well developed relative to other islands. The streets are laid out in a grid pattern. The homes are well built. The paintings on the walls indicate that the island is politically aware. No doubt, the people of the island are diligent fishermen.
I have always wanted to visit Ihavandhoo for a very long time, having never been to the island where my father was born and where a number of paternal relatives live. My father left the island at fourteen years of age, having become an orphan. At such a young age, I have no idea how he managed to survive in Male’ at that time or how he managed to visit Mecca for pilgrimage before he was twenty years old. He married an industrious and wealthy person’s daughter and had five children. I am his last-born. During my father’s time, our home was open to all and every person from Ihavandhoo and I recall my mother laboring over open fires to prepare meals for all who stayed and visited. My father’s calling was mainly to serve the people free, usually by prescribing medication for illnesses, attending to births or occasionally doing what they usually did at that time for increasing the catch of fish.
I told the students of Ihavandhoo of the visit of Dr Abdul Kalam to the Maldives National University. Dr Kalam made all the students stand and recite the following, which he had written in “Ignited Minds”: Dream, dream, dream. Dream transforms into thoughts. Thoughts result in actions.” He further said, that dreaming small is a crime. He noted that if there are no dreams, then there are no revolutionary thoughts; if there are no thoughts, no actions will emanate. Hence, parents and teachers should allow their children to dream. Success always follows dreams attempted though there may be some setbacks and delays.
I have great expectations from the people of Ihavandhoo and I trust those students who read this comment are inspired by the dream of a teenager who left Ihavandhoo shores in an open boat some 90 years ago in search of a better future for the family he would raise. My father always treated visitors from his island to our home with the same graciousness MNU staff were bestowed upon in their recent visit to Ihavandhoo by Firaz and others. Thank you.
Dr Hassan Hameed (VC, MNU)
I have had this dream of visiting my maternal island for years. Having the opportunity to realize this dream after this long has been a wonderful experience. And this experience has become further memorable by the opportunity provided by the Ihavandhoo School management for us to meet the staff and students of Ihavandhoo School and by the touching cordiality of the welcome and kindness shown to us on our visit.
ReplyDeleteIt’s my hope that we continue to get Ihavandhoo students to enroll in our courses as my sincere wish is for Ihavandhoo people to excel above all in whatever they do.
Aisth