Flash back to 1990. Jhang district - it included the Chiniot District then - was the nerve centre of sectarian clashes. The neglected rural district had inherited an agrarian economy with feudalism as its dominant defining characteristic. Shia jagirdars were at the helm of socio-economic and political affairs with a largely Barelvi Sunni tenant constituency. In order to break the feudal stronghold, the class struggle had been assigned a polarising religious identity. Religious colouring for political gains, in a largely conservative and under-educated society, manifested in an upsurge of violence between the Shias and the Deobandi Anjuman-i Sipah-i Sahaba.
Anjuman-i Sipah-i Sahaba’s leader Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi had been assassinated. Jhang was up in flames. With both sects being armed by “brotherly countries”, Jhang was engulfed in the maelstrom of sectarian clashes. As the Deputy Commissioner stated, “It is a proxy war on our soil.”
The national elections in 1990 further aggravated the tensions as religion was employed as a potent slogan to fuel the violence. Torching buildings, target killings, looting, drug smuggling and public incitement of hatred had enormous, adverse effects on the inhabitants. There was now disharmony in the social structure with previously peaceful communities disengaging from their social networks along the lines of beliefs and rituals. Trade union strikes resulted in economic turmoil, business closure and loss of earnings. This saw an out-migration with many people selling their businesses and relocating. Across the board there was fear of performing religious rituals, such as those performed during the holy month of Muharram. Jhang was at a burning standstill.
The Chenab College practices coeducation in a conservative region
Girls and boys being educated in the same classroom was unheard of in this conservative district
The government struggled to control the attacks while sectarian venom seeped into the landscape and the community. The challenges of religious volatility and cultural conservatism were addressed from day to dangerous day. This hurly burly posed an enormous challenge to the working of educational institutions, let alone establishing a new ground-breaking one. But alongside the day to day solutions, a long term measure was put in operation. The Deputy Commissioner retrieved 120 acres of land from the influential land mafia, conceived the Chenab College Jhang, had the master plan drawn up and started the construction work.
The initiative came from the Deputy Commissioner, who also happened to be a Rhodes scholar. He modeled Chenab College Jhang on the English public school system. It sought to provide an educational experience from kindergarten through to A-levels which would rival that of any institution in the country.
Flash forward to 2016. Chenab College Jhang today has spread to nearly twice its initial area. It maintains a fleet of 55 buses to provide transport to over eighty percent of the staff and students. This is more than any other educational institution in the country. An impressive student body of 4,500 pupils is currently receiving quality, marketable education. The students consistently secure national and regional distinctions at the Matric, Intermediate, O- and A-levels. They have been selected for the prestigious Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange Program every year, for the past five years. The academic results rival those of elite private institutions such as Lawrence College, Ghora Gali and Aitichison College, Lahore, while charging a fraction of their fees.
The positive impact that Chenab College Jhang has had on the community can be attributed to three main factors. Firstly, establishing the College was one of the first positive initiatives taken in this largely neglected district. The community has rallied around this institution where their children acquire an affordable, quality education within the district. For this reason there is great ownership of the institution amongst the community from the parents and teachers right down to the College janitorial staff. The parents’ involvement with the schooling and the willingness of the staff to go beyond the classroom are indicative of (and synonymous with) the success of the school.
Secondly, the school’s co-education policy sets it apart from Lawrence College and Aitchison College. The founders understood that tolerance and social development cannot be achieved without taking the female population along. “Educate a woman and you educate a nation”. 25 years ago girls and boys being educated in the same classroom was unheard of in this conservative district. Today not only do they attend lessons together but participate in plays, tournaments, and a variety of co-curricular activities. On the College’s Silver Jubilee celebrations recently, it was heartening to see girls and boys collaborating in musical and dramatic pieces.
Thirdly, merit prevails. The first Board of Governors had senior members of the civil and military bureaucracy, judiciary, and enlightened philanthropic individuals. This continues to be the practice, which each subsequent Deputy Commissioner/District Coordination Officer has honoured.
In 25 short years the College has constructed six large teaching wings on the main campus apart from hostels for boys and girls, faculty residences and staff accommodation. Boarding students come from all parts of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and even from overseas. It is a truly uniting institution, where tolerant faith and enabling discipline are inculcated to produce well-rounded, liberal minded citizens. Its branches have spread to far flung areas such as Ahmadpur Sial, Athara Hazari, Chiniot and Shorkot. The influence of one remote educational institution has been tangible and it has transformed the entire social fabric.
Once upon a time, the proverbial peacock dancing in the ‘jungle’ of Jhang was seen only by some. Now it continues to be seen by many.
Mahreen Tahir-Chowdhry is a Fulbright Scholar. She has a Masters in International Educational Development from Columbia University, U.S.A
