“Ultimately, the art of teaching is a mission. Those who embark upon the journey of teaching seek to transform individuals and communities, inspired by a sense of purpose” — Mawlana Shah Karim Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The late South African statesman and leader Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” This profound statement underscores the transformative power of education, inspiring us to believe in its potential to shape a better future. Martin Luther King Jr. also emphasized the importance of education, stating that it teaches one to think intensively and critically.
Education is a powerful tool for building intelligence and character when done right. Teachers are the key figures in this process, guiding students to acquire knowledge, competence, and virtue. The Aga Khan’s quote on teachers further underscores their crucial role.
In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Mbeya, a small town situated in the Southern Highland region of Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania), was blessed with dedicated and enthusiastic teachers who changed the lives of many children of Indian origin who had moved to East African countries from India in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to towns such as Mbeya.
During the British colonial time, separate European, Indian and native African Schools were established. The Colonial Government funded the schools for the Europeans and Africans; the Asians (or Indians from South Asia), on the other hand, had to build their own education and schooling system. This was a community effort, funded with donations from the community and fees collected from the students. In the 1940s and early 1950s, Indian Public School, a primary school, was the first such teaching institution in Mbeya for the Indian community. The medium of instruction was Gujarati. After primary education, the students continued their education in Dar es Salaam.
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In the late 1950s, the Ismaili Muslim community, a group of the Mbeya Indian diaspora, built the Aga Khan Primary School, which would teach up to the tenth standard. It was part of the Aga Khan Education System and was open to all races. The medium of instruction would be English; it also had facilities to teach science subjects. This educational system, built and sustained by the Indian community, not only provided quality education but also instilled a profound sense of pride and empowerment among the Indian diaspora in East Africa.
From the scanty information I obtained for the 1940s, one of the first teachers at the Indian Public School was Mr. Vallimohamed Sarani (known as Sarani Master), who initially taught in Zanzibar. Sarani Master came to East Africa in the late 1920s or early 1930s, joining his uncle in Kampala. He got married in Kampala and then shifted to Zanzibar as a teacher. His children were born in Zanzibar. He left Zanzibar during the early 1940s and started teaching in Mbeya at the Indian Public School for eight years. In 1948, he moved to Nayasaland (now Malawi) and stayed there till 1975. He retired and moved to Texas, USA, to be with his children until 1982. His final residence was in Leicester, UK, where he passed away in 1987 at the age of 84 years.
Another significant figure in the Indian Public School was Mr. Ayub Kassammia, the second son of the brother of Haji Yusufmia, a pioneer and successful businessman of Mbeya. After completing his studies in India in Kutch/Gujrat, Ayub returned to Mbeya. Initially, he taught at the Indian School organized by the local Indian community. The School was held in a rented house behind Haji Yusufmia’s house. After building the formal Indian Public school and hiring new teachers, Ayub left teaching. He joined the British Army in Nairobi during 2nd World War till the end of the War.
At the end of the 1940s and early 1950s, with the relocation of Sarani Master and his family to Nyasaland, Indian Public Schools hired new teachers from India. In 1949, a husband-and-wife team of Mr. G. D. Talavia and his wife, Vijiaben Talavia, joined the School. Mr Talavia was made the headmaster. The School continued with Gujarati as a medium of instruction, with lessons to teach English at the end of Standard 2 or the beginning of Standard 3.
Among other teachers were Miss Zarina Virji (commonly known as Zarinabenji), who taught briefly and moved to Dar es Salaam after marrying Mr. Malek Ratancy, a well-known cricketer; Mr. Kassim Rahemtulla Lohar (Mr. K. R. Lohar); Mr. Hassanali Abdulla Walji of Mbeya (commonly addressed at that time as Hassanali Master and later as Dr. Walji); and Mr. Abdulmalek Ali Valla also of Mbeya.
In the 1940s and early 1950s, children’s schooling started in Standard One. When I joined Indian Public School in 1952, Vijiabenji (as we addressed her) was my first teacher in Standard One. Sudha, the younger daughter of the well-known medical doctor in Mbeya, Dr. Carpenter, joined me in Standard One. Other teachers were also involved in my education, especially Mr. Lohar and Hassanali Master (my father’s first cousin). My mother used to complain to him if I got mischievous or was not following her orders. Hassanali Master was an excellent teacher, especially in health science subjects, but he was also strict. We used to be frightened of him. Sudha and I were only four and a half years old when we joined Standard One, and competing with other older students in early primary School was difficult. Thus, my father always made me take extra tuition from Mr. Lohar, and his help and guidance in those early primary school days can never be forgotten.
Mr. K. R. Lohar was born in Bhuj Kutch, India. He moved to Nyasaland in April of 1950 at the suggestion of his uncle, Sarani Master, who, as I already mentioned, moved from Mbeya to Nyasaland in 1948. Mr. Lohar taught at Zumba school in Nyasaland. In 1952, he married his cousin Khulsum, Sarani Master’s daughter. She was born in Zanzibar, where her father had once taught early in his teaching career. At the advice of Sarani Master, Mr. Lohar and Khulsum moved to Mbeya to teach at the Indian Public School. They have three sons; the eldest, Rhemutulla (Rhemu), was born in 1953; Rafiq in 1955; and the youngest, Hanif, in 1962 — all in Mbeya.
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In 1953, Indian Public School received a new teacher who would become the new headmaster. His name was Mr. Dennis H. Noronha, and he was from India. His leadership and vision would end up being the catalyst for change in the Indian community of Mbeya, transforming the lives of many students. One of his main tasks was introducing English as the instruction medium. He and Mr. Hassanali Walji also introduced a physical program and sports into the school curriculum.
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Mr. Hassanali Abdulla Walji (later known as Dr. Walji) was born in Manyoni, a small town in the Singida district of Tanganyika. He was one of the earliest teachers at the Indian Public School after completing his studies in Dar es Salaam. His main subjects were health science and physical education. Before the closure of the Indian Public Schools and the move to the new Aga Khan School, this local young man decided to go to London, England, to study physiotherapy and Chiropody (podiatry). Studying overseas at that time was a privilege, especially in Western countries. While in Europe, he also had an audience with Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 48th Hereditary Ismaili Imam.
After completing his studies in the UK, he returned to Mbeya. On his return, I still remember that Dr. Hassanali Walji, as he was now known, gave us (the whole student group and the community) a talk on his travel overseas by ship and about the process of studying overseas. At least for me, he sowed the seeds for further education overseas after my studies in Mbeya, and I always remember that talk and thank him for it.
Mbeya is a small town, and for his practice in physiotherapy and podiatry, Dr. Walji moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he established a very successful practice. He, however, continued with his other main interest in Ismaili and Islamic studies through his extensive reading and self-studying. He was also gifted with a fantastic singing voice, and with his love for Ginans (Ismaili hymns composed by Ismaili Pirs and missionaries centuries earlier), he recited them regularly. Dr. Anil Walji, his son, an Anatomy Professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, inherited that from his father. Dr. Hassanali Walji also became an honorary Alwaez (missionary) in the Ismaili community and preached regularly. His sermons were very well received. It was a significant loss in 1978 when he passed away apparently from a heart attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
It may be noted that the Aga Khan Education Structure in East Africa had started as early as the end of the 19th Century; the earliest center to teach basic literacy and numeracy may have been initiated in 1895 in Bagamoyo, Tanganyika by Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III. In the 1940s and 1950s, under the chair of Princess Joan Aly Khan (the late mother of the present Aga Khan) and with the revised structure, more Aga Khan primary and secondary schools were established in Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika, Mombasa and Nairobi in Kenya, and Kampala in Uganda, first for girls and then for the boys. Later, co-ed schools for boys and girls were built for primary education in other East African towns and opened to all races and faiths.
One such School was constructed in Mbeya and opened in 1957 to replace the existing Indian Public School. This new School would cater to teaching from Standard One to Ten.
Mr. Denis H. Noronha headed the Mbeya Aga Khan School. He gained quick recognition and respect among students, parents and the school committee, given his tenure as the headmaster of the Indian Public School and his kind concern for the students of this small town, his leadership abilities and his forward thinking for the student’s further education. His advice and criticism were genuine. Indian Public School was closed permanently, and all the teachers from that School moved to the new Aga Khan School. The teaching faculty consisted of Mr. K. R. Lohar, Mr. Almeida, Mr. Jagirdar, Mr. Sadrudin Merchant, Mrs. Aramita Geraldine Narohna and Mrs. Shrin Ratancy.
With the new Mbeya Aga Khan School in operation and open to all races and faiths, Mr. Noronha, as the Headmaster, managed to attract more teachers, and his teaching faculty increased; Mr. and Mrs. Philips and a second, Mr. Philips from India, joined. The two male Philips were distinguished from each other by their heights, and the students referred to them by calling them “Tall” and ‘Short” Mr. Philips. Afterward, Mr. Rawat, Mr. Demelo, and Mr. de Souza joined.
With their hard work and dedication, this teaching faculty brought up the standard of teaching per the Aga Khan Education criteria, making it possible for the students to relocate quickly to other schools when they moved to other secondary and high schools in East Africa to continue their education beyond Grade 10.
In 1959/60, Mr. Denis Noronha retired as head teacher of the Aga Khan School. He and his teacher wife, Aramita, opened their own business, providing tuition for school subjects and accountancy courses. He became an insurance agent with an office in the Mbeya East African Airways building. In the 1960s, the Noronha family left Mbeya for good and relocated to Bangalore, India. They opened a private school there, which became quite successful and well-known. Aramita passed away in Bangalore on January 6, 1989. Mr. Noronha and his eldest daughter continued running the School there. Mr. Dennis Noronha passed away on December 7, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Noronha’s passing was a significant loss to his immediate family and the Mbeya people, who had come to regard them as their own family.
After Mr. Noronha left the Aga Khan School, Mr. Naidu took over the head teacher’s position. Subsequently, after his departure in 1962/63, Mr. de Souza became the head teacher. Unfortunately, just six months later, he died of an apparent heart attack. Mr. K. R. Lohar succeeded him.
In 1971/72, the socialist government of Tanzania nationalized all the Aga Khan Schools, and they came under the government administration. Mbeya Aga Khan School’s name was changed to Azimo School. Mr. Lohar taught there up to 1972 and left to teach at another school in Mbeya situated in the previous “European” area of Mbeya. He, with his wife Khulsum, moved to Leicester, UK, to join their sons in 1990 and for the treatment of Khulsum’s cancer. She passed away in Leicester in 1990. Mr. Lohar lived in Leicester with his son. In April of 1997, he had a stroke, and two months after his stroke, he was found to have cancer of the throat (he smoked heavily). He passed away on December 1, 1997, at the age of 67 years.
In the mid-and late 1960s, Tanzanian-trained teachers and teacher assistants joined the team. To name a few (who were from the Mbeya Indian community), they were Miss Gulshan Dharsee, Miss Nurjehan Karim Lalji, Miss Fatma Bandali, Miss Gulzar Razak Hirji, and Mr Sadrudin Ali Valla. Mr Salim Dawood, originally from Dar es Salaam, also took up a teaching position at the Mbeya Aga Khan School. He would later move to the Aga Khan Primary School in Dar es Salaam, where he taught maths. Mr. Dawood passed away in Toronto in 2019. The native African teachers also joined the team.
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The population of Mbeya Indians by the 6th decade of the 20th Century was about one thousand. Practically all the children who attended Mbeya Indian Public School and then Aga Khan School were born in the Southern Highland region of Tanganyika, of which Mbeya was the main administrative town. With this small population, Mbeya produced eight Medical doctors, one lawyer, eight registered nurses, five Chartered/Certified Accountants, four engineers, two legal secretaries, one with an Agriculture degree, and many more with college certification. This proud result of the Mbeya student’s achievement resulted from good schooling and ongoing guidance during the 1940s,1950s, and 1960s, which were done by those mentioned above, very dedicated and committed teachers of Mbeya. They were our Mbeya’s education heroes. They sparked the value and importance of education for students and society. I should state that Mr. Denis H. Noronha played a significant part in this. He brought the change in the early 50s by making English the medium of instruction, changing the curriculum to a UK one, recruiting good teaching staff, and advising the students and their parents regarding further education. He groomed the students to think far ahead. With this foundation, teachers like Mr. de Souza and Mr. K. R. Lohar, who followed him as a head teacher, continued to use the same approach and policy.
At the Foundation Laying Ceremony of the Aga Khan Academy in Dacca, Bangladesh, in 2008, His Highness the Aga Khan stated, “Ultimately, the art of teaching is a mission. Those who embark upon the journey of teaching seek to transform individuals and communities, inspired by a sense of purpose”. Secondly, in a speech at the Aga Khan University in Karachi in 2000, His Highness said, “Teaching is one of the most valued professions because it opens minds to greater self-awareness as well as to the knowledge that gives learners greater control over their destinies.”
This statement proved very true for the Mbeya students of the 1940s, 50s, & 60s when they had to emigrate to the West in the early 1970s because of the “mopping up” measures in the way of the “Acquisition of Building Act 1971” brought by the socialist government of Tanzania. Indian-owned buildings, farms, etc., were nationalized without compensation. The economic security of the Indians was jeopardized because of the Africanization of businesses and jobs. Things became difficult to live there, and thus, the Indian population left Tanzania in large numbers. The students were able to resettle in countries like Canada, the USA, the UK & Australia, and they have done well in their jobs, practices and businesses. Some of us have achieved good positions at various institutions and academic positions at multiple Universities.
On behalf of all Mbeya students and their parents, I want to thank the teachers who taught us and prepared us for the future. We students also pray for the peace of the souls of all our departed teachers.
Date posted: August 14, 2024.
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Acknowledgement: The author would like to thank Cynthia (Noronha) Mascarena, Mr. Vincent Noronha, Mr. Rhemtulla (Remu) K. R. Lohar, and Mr. Karim Nurdin Popat Kassam for their help and information for this article.
Feedback: We welcome feedback from our readers in response to Dr. Manji’s informative piece about Mbeya teachers. Please click Leave a comment or send your comment to mmerchant@simerg.com. We welcome similar pieces about your experiences studying or teaching in Ismaili educational institutions in any part of the world.
About the author: Dr. Mohamed Fazal Manji, MD, DMRT, DABRT, FRCPC, who is originally from Mbeya Tanzania, is a cancer specialist. He is a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at BC Cancer Agency of British Columbia, Canada, and Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia. He graduated in medicine from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, and immigrated to Canada in 1972. He specialised in radiation cancer treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital (Cancer Center as it is called now) in Toronto. He obtained the Canadian Fellowship (FRCPC) and American Board Specialist Certification (DABRT) in Radiation Oncology. He also undertook special courses in Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He became the first Canadian trained Ismaili Radiation Oncologist in Canada and probably in North America. He has been working at BC Cancer agency since 1977. He spent time abroad, working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to help modernize the Radiation Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center. He spent 12 years at this tertiary hospital for cancer and other diseases. He was also involved in the planning and development of Radiation Oncology Departments at the Aga Khan University Hospitals in Karachi and Nairobi and spent some time working at both places. He has contributed to many peer review publications, abstracts, book chapters and also lecture presentations nationally and internationally. Dr. Manji is also a recipient of 2022 Royal College of Physician & Surgeon of Canada’s M Andrew Padmos International Collaboration Award.
He is the son of Rai Fazal Manji of Mbeya Tanzania, who served as a member of Aga Khan Supreme Council of Tanganyika in 1950s and Raibanu Rehmat Fazal Manji, daughter of Alijah Mohamed Hamir who, in early 1930s, built an iconic Jamatkhana in Iringa, Tanzania, and donated to Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah unconditionally. Appointed by His Highness the Aga Khan, Dr. Manji served as the first Member for Health on the first Aga Khan Ismaili Regional Council of Ontario and Quebec in 1973 under President Riaz Jethwani.
We invite our readers to read Dr. Manji’s exclusive piece on Prince Amyn Aga Khan’s 1973 visit to the Ismaili Jamat in Toronto.
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