اعجاز صدیقی
افسوس ہے ہمارے عزیز دوست اوربچپن کے ساتھی جناب اعجاز صدیقی کاپچھلے دنوں بمبئی میں اچانک انتقال ہوگیا۔اناﷲ واناالیہ راجعون۔
مرحوم مولانا سیماب اکبر آبادی کے فرزند ارجمند اوراُن کے خاص تربیت یافتہ تھے۔اردو کے بلندپایہ اورقادرالکلام شاعر توتھے ہی، بڑی بات یہ ہے کہ فن کے اصول وفروع اوراُس کے رموزونکات اورزبان کے قواعد اوراُس کے مصطلحات پر اُن کی نگاہ وسیع اوردقیق تھی، اس بناء پر وہ نقاد بھی بہت اچھے تھے۔نثر بھی شگفتہ لکھتے تھے۔تقسیم کے بعد آگرہ کے حالات ناقابل برداشت ہوئے اور وہاں رہنا دشوار ہوگیا توبمبئی منتقل ہوگئے۔یہاں اُن کوسخت پریشانیوں اوردشواریوں سے سابقہ پیش آیا لیکن انھوں نے بڑی ہمت اورجواں مردی سے ان سب کا مقابلہ کیا۔ ’’شاعر‘‘کو نہ صرف یہ کہ جاری رکھا، اُس کوبہتر سے بہتر بنانے کی کوششوں میں لگے رہے اورآخر کاربمبئی ایسے غدارشہر میں اپنا ایک خاص مرتبہ ومقام حاصل کرنے میں کامیاب ہوئے۔ اُن کو اردو سے عشق تھا، تقسیم کے نتیجہ میں اُس پر جو بپتا پڑی تھی، مرحوم عمر بھراُس کا ماتم کرتے اوراُس کی اصلاح کی جدوجہد کرتے رہے۔طبعاً بڑے خوش خلق،غیورو خوددار،باوضع اور نہایت محنتی اور جفاکش انسان تھے۔ اُن کی وفات سے اردو اپنی فوج کے ایک بہت بڑے مجاہد سے محروم ہوگئی۔ اﷲ تعالیٰ اُن کومغفرت وبخشش کی نعمتوں سے نوازے۔
[مارچ۱۹۷۸ء]
This study combines three orientations, namely existential thought about the meaning of ‘being’ and ‘existence, ’ phenomenological insights into ‘lived experience, ’ and anthropological endeavor at what it means to be human. It attempts to focus on the human conditions by directly engaging with human beings. Specifically guiding itself with the questions such as how young people engage in the meaning-making of their lived experiences in their life course’s ever-changing process. Taking its theoretical insights and inspiration from existential and phenomenological anthropology, by zooming in on lived experiences, the research was conducted using life story interviews to collect the narratives to gain understandings into the life-worlds as it is lived and made sense of by young people of Tando Ghulam Ali, a rural town of District Badin, Sindh. Based on the ethnographic data and observations, it is argued that the meaning-making of lived experiences was different among research participants with a strong presence of selfhood and self-consciousness temporally and affectively; the difference in orientation towards life is entangled with personal history as well. This research went beyond the horizons of culture and society to put existence, life, and being, which are silhouetted at meta-level, at the heart of anthropological focus. This research is an experimental research project in anthropology, which has attempted to step its foot into the human condition's terra incognita, which calls for anthropologists’ further exploration.
The principals' job is multi-dimensional. They face numerous challenges while working as instructional leaders, administrators, disciplinarians and change agents. They play a central role in improving classroom practices of teachers. When teachers' practices are improved, it has a direct positive influence on students' academic achievements. The purpose of this study was to explore one private school principal's experiences, and in particular, to find out how this principal improves her teachers' classroom practices and how she copes with the challenges she faces while improving the teachers' practices. The study also aimed at finding the influence of challenges in shaping the principal's practices. I used qualitative research approach, using the case study method to study the principals' challenges in a school setting. I selected a private school as a research site due to the pro-activeness of principal in that school. I did purposeful sampling with one principal and three teachers. I used semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations to collect data. The findings of the research show that Shagufta, the principal in this particular school faces a number of challenges related to: the diverse background of students, teachers' turnover and absenteeism, her work with new teachers, pressure from parents and donors. In order to deal with these challenges, Shagufta has her own driven strategies. For example, counselling the students, frequent classroom visits and giving feedback, offering professional development program at the school and outside it. She has involved all stake holders in her management board (e.g., teachers, donors, parents, and community members) in order to make them aware about school activities as well as to involve them in the improvement process. There have been collective attempts to meet the challenges and to achieve the ultimate goal that is, students' academic achievement. She emphasizes on building relationships among the students, teachers and principal in the school and learning from one another. Shagufta does many activities in her school to improve teachers' classroom practices. Her practices seem to be influenced by her own experiences as a teacher and are derived from professional development courses. She believes that leadership itself teaches the principal to cope with difficult time. Shagufta works as a team with her teachers which has further extended and strengthened her leadership.