Founder of HHS
Ms. Maryam Faruqi

A lady with a Mission

The founder of HHS School System, Mrs. Maryam Faruqi is a well-known name in the educational circles of Pakistan. Her success can be attributed to her passion for education and the restless desire to utilize her potential for the service of humanity. She was born in India to Sir Ebrahim and Lady Hawabai Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer. Her father tried to create an educational awakening amongst the Muslims and laid the foundation of the Bombay Provincial Muslim Educational Conference which was affiliated to the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference of Aligarh. He also set up a school in Pune which is to date offering excellent education to Muslim girls.

Early Education

Her education started from the Islamia School, Pune, which is now a full-fledged school named after her parents. When she topped in Class-VI, she was asked by the Headmistress to teach Urdu to class-V. She felt on top of the world when at the end of the period the Headmistress remarked, “I bet you will be a good Headmistress.”- that was her first success. She gave her Matriculation Examination through the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Pune and acquired First Merit Position. Her name remains etched on the Honour Roll Board. She joined the prestigious Naurosji Wadia College and her outstanding intermediate results earned her the Moosa Qasim Gold Medal. In 1945, she graduated from Bombay University with distinction & was awarded a gold medal in B.A Honours.

Marriage

Mrs. Maryam Faruqi married Nooruddin Hasan Faruqi, an Income Tax Officer on 6th April, 1947 in Delhi. The marriage was attended by Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other renowned personalities of the Pakistan Movement.

Founding of
Happy Home School

After marriage her husband opted for Pakistan.
Mrs. Faruqi worked with Mrs. Qazi Issa on the National Guard Movement preparing girls and ladies for emergencies. She worked with the Women’s Muslim League. She also enrolled herself in some vocational classes at the Mama Parsi School. Seeing the need for good schools, she laid the foundation of the Happy Home School in February 1949, starting from her own bungalow on 95 Jamshed Road, Karachi. She began with the admission of 5 children, which multiplied to 25 children within a month. The number of students kept on increasing, so more rooms had to be utilized and it was no longer possible to run the school from home. Hence a building was constructed in 1952 at Shaheed-e-Millat Road, which was at that time an isolated area, so the challenge was to convince parents and teachers that the area, a mile from the Islamia College, was safe enough.

Professional Education

Mrs. Faruqi received a scholarship to do teacher training at the Government Teachers Training College, Belgaum, from where she graduated with flying colours. On migrating to Pakistan, Mrs. Faruqi did the Montessori Teachers Training under the able guidance of Madame Maria Montessori herself. Mrs. Faruqi was awarded the Fulbright Hayes Scholarship for studying Educational Administration and Supervision in the USA in 1960. She also visited schools in the USA and observed their system which greatly helped her in streamlining her own system and introducing new methods at the Happy Home School.

Entension of
Professional Expertise

When Happy Home School, now HHS School System, was founded in 1949,
Mrs. Faruqi also founded the Pakistan Education Society (Regd.) and set up the New Town Govt. Girls High School. The school was given the allotment of the building by Mr. Masud, Administrator of Karachi and the renowned author of the Hari Commission Report. The school was, however, nationalized in 1972. Ms. Safia Khan, a devoted headmistress at the New Town School, did a commendable job and after her death Mrs. Faruqi had it renamed to Safia Khan Memorial New Town Govt. Girls Primary & Secondary School. The Safia Khan Memorial New Town School was then adopted by Mrs. Faruqi who was the Chairperson of the Pakistan Education Society at that time- thus her expertise and interest in education was not limited to the Happy Home School System. She was also an executive member of the Educational Committee of the Pakistan Federation of Business and Professional Women.

Growth of
HHS School System

Today HHS School System has nine campuses in Karachi, catering to both Matric and the O Level. From the very first batch that gave the Matriculation Examination in 1958, each year HHS students have brought laurels by their meritorious achievements in the Board and the University of Cambridge Examinations. Apart from academic excellence, HHS School System is known for its discipline, the wide range of co-curricular activities, the well equipped computer laboratories and libraries, Quranic Tafseer for staff and Zohar Namaz in Jamaat, which is held daily in all the Secondary Sections.

Acknowledgement of
Team Support

Mrs. Maryam Faruqi asserted that all her success was not the result of her efforts alone, as she was fortunate enough to have some very good friends and staff who worked dedicatedly with her. She acknowledged the tremendous support of Mrs. Zuleikha Varis; Ms. Badar Jehan Siddiqi, the late Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Chinoy, Mrs. Zainab Mehmood, Noor Bi apa; Mr. Masood ul Hassan; Mrs. Hazari; Mrs. Fernandes; Mr. Moeen Faruqi, her son and (then) HHS Administrator; Mrs. Tahira Ahmed, Head Procurement Department; Dr. Maliha Ahmed, (then) Deputy Principal and Ms. Temina Khalid, (then) Head of Quality Enhancement Cell. She also acknowledged the following heads of that time: Mrs. Hamida Mirza, Gulshan Campus; Ms. Mahvash Faruqi, The Learning Centre; Ms. Farah Imam, O Level Campus; Ms. Humera Hassan, International Montessori Centre; Mrs. Mah Parveen Quadri, Primary Section, Society Campus; Ms. Mehr Bano and Mrs. Raana Hamid, Secondary and Pre-Primary Sections respectively at the Gulshan Campus; and to about fifty staff members who had been with the school for the last 20 years; and to her daughter, Mrs. Ghazala Nizami, presently the Principal of the school. All the members of the team have helped to make HHS School System what it is today. Mrs. Maryam Faruqi lived her life to its fullest, struggling through all odds, thanking Allah at all times and making her mark by serving humanity.

Awards Conferred on Mrs. Maryam Faruqi

  1. Gold Medal from the University of Bombay for acquiring First Merit Position- 1945 
  2. Award of Fulbright Hayes Scholarship for Educational Administration and Supervision in the USA in 1960-61 
  3. President’s Award for Literacy- 1987 
  4. Award by Hamdard Naunehal Assembly- 1988 
  5. Pakistan National Unity Award for her success in education by Pakistan National Unity Council 
  6. Award for outstanding services for youth cause by Galaxy of Youth Pakistan- 1997 
  7. Star Woman Award 1998 by Star Girls & Women Foundation 
  8. Prime Minister’s Madar-e-Millat Award- 2003 
  9. Lifetime Achievement Award by KFC- 2007 
  10. Fatimat-uz-Zohra Award ‘For the Struggle She Initiated and her Commitment’ by Working Women Organization (Trust) Pakistan– 2007 
  11. Third Senior Citizen Award by Mera Ghar Welfare Association- 2008 
  12. Life time Achievement Award by the Directorate of Private School Education- 2009 13. Woman Educator of the Year Award by Pakistan Excellence Awards Foundation, Islamabad- 2009 
  13. Life time Achievement Award by the Hamdard Foundation- 2009 
  14. Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi- 2010