Bushra Akhtar-Headmistress of Government School Kamoke

by Ahmed Khokar
(Gujranwala, Pakistan)

Bushra Akhtar served as the headmistress of a government school in Kamoke, Gujranwala. In her capacity as a teacher she taught subjects like History, English and Urdu.

Venture: Bushra Akhtar - Headmistress
Institution: Government High School
Location: Kamoke, Gujranwala, Pakistan

Headmistress of Government School Kamoke-Interview

Q: What do you do?

A. I am a teacher and served as the headmistress of a government school in a village near Kamoke, a district of Gujranwala.

Q: What makes you a woman of strength and determination?

A. I have faced many hurdles in my journey of becoming a teacher and then from a teacher to a headmistress. Those hurdles made me a strong woman. A woman, who know how to face difficulties.

Q: How did you get here and how long have you been in this field.
A. I was born in a poor family of Gujranwala. At that time Gujranwala was not that much developed as it is today. It was more like a village. There was a lack of many facilities in Gujranwala like good schools, hospitals, clean water and many other things that a citizen needs to live in a place.

When I was 16 years old I did my matric. In old times things were really difficult for a lady. People don't let the girls educate their selves even if they want. People were really narrow-minded and used to think that it is bad for a lady to get an education and work. They thought girls should always know how to cook and one day they will get married to someone.

I was the eldest one in my family. I wanted to eliminate my poverty so I decided to work hard and ignored what people say or think. After the completion of matric, I appeared in a short- course i.e. PTC. The main reason for doing this course was to get the job of a teacher in a primary school. While serving as a
teacher in primary school, I also continued my studies to upgrade my rank as a teacher. I did F.A and B.A privately. I couldn't afford a college at that time as I was the only earning person from my house and everything relied on me. I had to pay for the food and education for my younger sisters and medication of my parents. After successfully completing my B.A, I decided to do B.Ed. too because B.A alone could not do anything for me.

For further studies, I went to Lahore and did my B.Ed. there. After my B.Ed., I was upgraded to a secondary school teacher. At that time, schools were nationalized and everything came under the control of the government so I become a government teacher of secondary grades. With my vision of education, I led all my siblings, relatives and friends to educate themselves. I motivated them to change their lives for the better.

At the age of 32, I got married to a mechanical engineer from UET. But my life was not as I expected it to be. After marriage, things became even more difficult. I shifted to Lahore and it was very difficult for me to come to Kamoke every day and my husband also asked me to quit my job; but I had a family to support. I went against his decision and continued my job. So I had many complications in marital life but I faced them.

Subjects that I used to teach were English, Urdu and History. My students were mostly girls I loved to teach girls and help them to achieve their goals. I always forced and motivated girls to educate themselves and become strong persons so that they could support themselves.

At the age of 50, I became the Headmistress of the secondary school I used to be a teacher in.

Q. What has been your vision and what do you most love about your work?

A. My aim is to motivate all girls to educate themselves because life is not a bed of roses for everyone; it can also be a bed of thorns, so be prepared for everything. I love to educate girls and motivate them to improve their lives and to never give up.

Q. What do you think is your biggest achievement throughout your professional journey?

A. Becoming a headmistress from an ordinary primary school teacher. Supporting my family and making them proud.

Q. What are your current projects and what do you plan on doing in the near future?

A. Now I'm enjoying my retirement but I do visit my school to check if someone is misguiding my nation's children and help my nation's children to fight for a better tomorrow.

Q. A word of advice from your experience for women who wish to pursue a career path.

A. Education is the only thing that will raise you among other people. Improve yourself day by day with the help of knowledge. And never give up on your goals and dreams even if you fail at any time.