Srinagar, Aug 09 : Kashmir’s noted educationist Agha Ashraf Ali dies at 98. He passed away late last night at his residence in Srinagar at 11:45 pm on the fateful day of 7th of August 2020.
Born on 18 October 1922 in Nawa Kadal area of downtown Srinagar in Qizalbash family, Mr. Agha Ashraf grew up in upper-class feudal household with a rich legacy of excellence. His mother Begum Zafar Ali, herself an educationist and legislator, was the first female matriculate of Kashmir. Ashraf was educated at the Mission School Fateh Kadal, Srinagar (the present Biscoe School). He graduated from Sri Pratap College of Science, M A road. Ashraf studied History at Aligarh Muslim University, he stood first in his course and was awarded the Morrison Medal in 1945. He started his career by teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia University. He married a girl from Lucknow, Sufia Nomani. After partition in 1947, Ashraf came back to Kashmir but couldn’t find a any place to settle down. He went to England for further studies. There he specialized in academic diploma in comparative education and education organisation and administration. He returned back to his homeland in 1951, where upon he was appointed as officer on special duty under Prime Minister. This followed by making him the inspector of Schools in 1952, he was 28 years old by then. In 1954 he was made the officiating Principal of the Teachers College of Education, where from he was taken as Principal of the National Extension Training Centre. A leap in his career was that he did his PhD in 1967. In fact he was the first PhD of the Ball States University, in USA. He was appointed as professor after University of Kashmir created Department of Education. Thus he became the first Kashmiri Professor. He is known for his encouragement of promising students whom he would send to England and America to study new Mathematics. He headed the Department of Education, University of Kashmir for a long time. He also served as the acting Vice Chancellor of the same University for some time. He was made Director of Training and Curricula from 1973-75 and simultaneously he was also a member of Baghwan Sahay Committee report on Education.
When he was appointed as first Chairman of the Board of Education in 1975, he introduced compulsory mathematics and science in schools for all girls. As Education Commissioner he brought tremendous changes in Education Department. He retired as Commissioner of Higher Education Govt of J&K in 1982. Post-retirement he was appointed as the Chairman of the Competent Authority of J&K. He kept on lecturing on a vast and myriad topics. He was known as a public speaker. He was once offered membership of the Legislative Council with a berth in the cabinet as the Education Minister by the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Muhammad Syed in 2004, which he outrightly denied. There is a huge list of awards and honours conferred upon him by state, national and international agencies for his remarkable contribution to the field of education and human resources development. He was a proud father of a Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, whom we lost in 2001, at a very young age. This broke Ashraf inside and he somehow felt dejected.
There is a great honour attributed to Jammu Kashmir Teachers’ Forum only and that is in recent past one of a high level delegation from the organisation visited this gem of the soil in person. The delegation was lead by Mr. Muhammad Akbar Khan President JKTF. He was accompanied, besides others, by Mr Muhammad Akbar Dar, Provincial Vice President JKTF. “This is the most memorable moment of my life that I shall cherish till eternity,” are the words of Mr President.
Offering his Condolence Mr Khan said that a golden era has come to an end, an epoch that was brilliant and bright has ceased to be.
Prof (Dr) Ashraf has been laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard at Gulistan Baba Mazaar, at Alamgari Bazaar, Srinagar.
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