Inside Sharjah Ruler's School: How A Poetry Verse Impressed Sheikh Sultan's Teacher

A single verse of poetry, written on a blackboard, was all it took for a young Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to be chosen to advance to the fifth grade, making him the youngest student in his class. This pivotal moment in the early education of Sheikh Sultan took place during the academic year 1951-1952 at the historic Al Qasimia School.

Al Qasimia School, now turning into an education museum in Sharjah, preserves this remarkable story. Al Qasimia School is the first formal school in the UAE, established in the early 1940s, where Sheikh Sultan previously studied. The classes offered at Al Qasimia School included Grades 1 through 5, and the school also had a designated class for females.

In September 1951, the young Sheikh Sultan began his school year in Grade 4. During an assessment day, Ahmed bin Muhammad Burhaima, the headmaster, along with Nasr Al Tai, the English language teacher, assessed all the students.

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Sheikh Sultan went up to the blackboard and began writing an Arabic verse as dictated to him by his teacher:“If a person does not defile his honour with meanness, then every garment he wears is beautiful”

By the end of the exam, Sheikh Sultan was chosen to advance to Grade 5, making him the youngest student in class.

A living museum of educational heritage

Today, visitors can discover the history of education in Sharjah and learn about the contribution of this school in producing several distinguished students, many of whom obtained senior administrative positions in local and federal government after the union and the establishment of the United Arab Emirates in 1971.

The classes feature a collection of exhibits, including the establishment of Al Qasimia School, which dates back to the early 1940s and was known at that time as Al Qasimia Reform School. In the academic year 1950-1951, its name was changed to Al Qasimia School in honour of the Al Qasimi family.

The phases of educational development in Sharjah between 1951 and 1956 included the education of females, which developed and expanded from Al Qasimia School. This development was supported by learning tools such as books and curricula, as well as a learning room that offered educational workshops.

A school born from vision

The history of this school dates back to the early 1940s, when it was known as Al Eslah Al Qasimia. In the academic year 1950-1951, the name of the school changed to Al Qasimia after the ruling family.

Facing financial hardship, the school was temporarily closed but reopened in 1944 with the support and encouragement of Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (ruled 1924-1951). During this period, the school was transformed from a private institution to a public school affiliated with the government of Sharjah, offering free education to all students.

From palm fronds to coral stone

In the academic year 1950-1951, Al Eslah Al Qasimia School (originally built of palm fronds) relocated to the house of Ismail Al Buraimi, a building constructed of coral. Ismail Al Buraimi was a well-known merchant in Sharjah, supplying traditional medicine, and holding a registry of births in Sharjah. He recorded the names and dates of birth of newborns when families bought medicinal herbs and other remedies.

Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (ruled 1924-1951) purchased this house from Ismail to replace the temporary palm-frond school structure that leaked during the rainy season. The house was converted to a school containing five classrooms and a library. A classroom with a palm frond screen was used to provide privacy for female students.

Bridging traditional and modern education

Al Qasimia School was a semi-formal school that included subjects such as the Holy Qur'an and the Noble Hadith, as well as reading and writing skills, grammar, calligraphy, mathematics, geography, principles of the English language, poetry recitation, sports, and other cultural activities.

Semi-formal schools served as a link between traditional schools and modern education, as they provided several academic subjects compared to traditional schools, which were limited to the teaching of the Holy Qur'an and some Islamic sciences.

These schools included several educational stages and had individual classrooms. The teachers in these schools were both scholars of Sharia sciences and highly qualified instructors, contributing to the development of the quality of education.

However, these schools were less developed than the modern educational system in terms of introducing modern sciences and their reliance on rote learning and memorisation.

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