Mr. M. F. Farooqui
Mr. Syed Akmal Razvi
Distinguished invitees
Ladies & Gentlemen
Assalaamu Alaikhum,

It gives me great pleasure to be present here today at the Seerath-un-Nabi celebrations and the function to honour students.

It is especially encouraging to note that a noteworthy event of this nature has been organised by the Tamil Nadu Muslim Graduates Association in Chennai, which would not only provide motivation but also highlight the importance of education to the youth of this generation.

I am sure you would all agree that no person is complete without education. In fact, all major religions in the world and Governments advocate and encourage education. In Sri Lanka, we introduced the system of free education way back in 1945 due to the untiring efforts of Hon. C. W. W Kannangara, the first Minister of Education in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), who was instrumental in introducing extensive reforms to our country’s education system that opened up education to children from all levels of society in our country. This became possible due to the activities in previous years and when the State Council passed the Education Ordinance of 1939 which enabled the Executive Committee of Education to exercise its powers to create new regulations paving the way for the establishment of a new system of education in Sri Lanka, which was expected to ensure that education was provided with equal opportunities for all children in the country, irrespective of social class, economic condition, religion and ethnic origin.

In 1942 a special committee was appointed with Hon. Kannangara as the Chairman to report on the status of education in the country. Among the recommendations for providing “lasting value to the nation” given in the report, which was published in 1943, were that education should be free from the Kindergarten to the University, the mother tongue should be used as the medium of instruction in the Primary Schools while English should be taught in all schools from Standard III and that a curriculum for the child which would develop its "head, heart and hands" should be introduced. In other words, even many decades ago, the need to evolve a system of education taking into consideration the emotions was felt as a necessity for the education of intellect and practical ability, for the well-being of the child.
 
Hailed as ‘the father of free education’ in Sri Lanka, Hon. Kannangara was placed in charge of implementing the recommendations which came into effect in 1945, which was to  make education free of charge for all students and to ensure that every student was provided with instruction in the religion of his or her parents. To this day, education is free in Sri Lanka from the level of Kindergarten to University. This path breaking decision way back in 1945 has yielded remarkable results, as Sri Lanka’s population is considered highly educated with a literacy rate of 92%. Sri Lanka also has one of the highest literacy rates of South Asia, which has been mainly been attributed to the free education system in Sri Lanka. I am proud to say that I am also a beneficiary of this remarkable system in education, which is still vibrant in Sri Lanka with added benefits such as the issue of free text books to all school children by the Government and providing free school uniforms.
 
When we discuss the importance placed on education by religions, I wish to point out that our great religion of Islam has placed immense importance on educational and seeking knowledge. This is why it is believed that that the training of a human mind is not complete without education as education makes a man or woman think in the direct direction and also guides a person on how to think and make decisions. Another reason is that only through the attainment of education, is a person able to receive information from the outside world, to learn about past history and receive all necessary information about the happenings of this world.
 
I am sure that you would agree with me when I say that the importance of education can be understood by the fact that when the Holy Qur'an began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' which means, ‘read’. This suggests that education is perhaps a starting point in every human’s activity.

I believe according to a hadith, ‘the ink of the pen of a scholar is more precious than the blood of a martyr’ as a martyr is engaged in defence work while a scholar builds individuals and nations along positive lines. In this way, the scholar bestows real life to the world.  I also understand that most books of hadith have a chapter on knowledge (ilm). In Sahih Bukhari there is a chapter entitled "The virtue of one who acquires ‘ilm’ (learning) and imparts that to others."

In another illustration on the importance accorded to education in Islam, according to ‘Tirmidhi’ and ‘Ibn Majah’, Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ‘A single scholar of religion is more formidable against shaitaan than a thousand devout persons’. This again brings to the fore, the great role played by education in Islam.

Islam has been clear in showing that the first and most crucial obligation on us is to acquire knowledge and secondly, to practice and preach this knowledge. Without knowledge a person amounts to almost nothing and it is education that makes us who we are and gives us the confidence to face this world.
 
I hope you will all put your education to good use and help in the development of your community and country.

I would like to conclude with a quote from Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for the rights of children who’s also the founder of the Children's Defense Fund, who said,  “Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”.

I hope each and every one of you would do just that.
I wish to thank the Tamil Nadu Muslim Graduates Association in Chennai for this opportunity and wish the Association the very best in their future endeavours and more success in the years to come, for the wonderful work they have been doing to encourage education.
Thank You,

Wassalaam.