Sarwar Jahan Jewel Mymensingh : Principal AKM Irfan Ali, popularly known as Irfan Sir, was a legendary figure in the expansion of education in the greater Mymensingh region.
By setting a rare precedent of establishing nearly fifty educational institutions single-handedly, he not only enlightened a generation, but also brought revolutionary changes to the education system of the entire region.
His working life was an extraordinary story of overcoming adversity, laying the foundation for new educational institutions, and leading them to the pinnacle of success.
Principal Irfan Ali was born on December 30, 1930, in his maternal home in Chikna Manohar village of Trishal upazila of Greater Mymensingh. His ancestral home was in Bagan village of Trishal. He lost his mother and became an orphan at the age of just six months.
The talented Irfan Ali received a scholarship in the fourth grade during his primary education. In 1947, he passed the matriculation examination under the University of Calcutta with distinction in the first division.
After the partition, he passed his IA in 1949 and BA in 1951 under Dhaka University, where no one could pass with first division that year. Later, he obtained his BT degree in 1956 and MA degree in 1961 from Dhaka University.
Immediately after completing his education, Principal Irfan Ali took up teaching as a profession. From 1951 to 1957, he served as the headmaster of Achim High School in Phulbaria Upazila. Then, in 1957, he joined Phulpur Institution as the headmaster.
Out of deep compassion for his educationally backward upazila of Trishal, he established Kalibazar High School in 1958 and took on the role of headmaster there.
After completing his school teaching career, he joined Devendra College in Manikganj as a lecturer in 1963 and joined Netrokona College in the same position in 1965, where he worked until 1967.
Realizing the lack of higher education in the Trishal region, Principal Irfan Ali established Nazrul College (now Government Nazrul College) in Trishal in 1967, named after the rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. He served as the founding principal here.
He then went to Kuliarchar and established Kuliarchar College and served as its principal until 1990. His passion for teaching did not stop there.
Later, he taught as the founding principal of Sahab Uddin College in Azim Bazar under Phulbaria Upazila, Ahmedabad College in Trishal, and Trishal Women’s Degree College until his retirement in 1997.
Not only that, Principal Irfan Ali also played a pioneering role in establishing Bagan Islamia High School, Bagan Azizia Primary School, and Bagan Ragamara Al Madani Jame Mosque in his home village.
He has spent his working life with a combination of talent, dedication, honesty, efficiency and concentration. A notable feature of his life was that he would build the institution he joined or founded on a solid foundation and only then would he take the initiative to build another educational institution. He has left a mark of success in every field.
Principal Irfan Ali was a skilled and elegant teacher. He had a vast knowledge of various languages including Bengali, English, Arabic, Urdu and Hindi. He was a very popular teacher among the students in the classroom.
There are many families in Trishal where grandfathers, fathers and grandchildren were all his students. In addition to spreading education, he was also directly and indirectly involved in religious activities and was also known as a fluent interpreter of the Quran.
This great educationist passed away in December 2011 at the age of 81. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, two sons, five daughters, and countless admirers.
The life and work of Principal Irfan Ali will remain a shining example in the history of educational expansion in the greater Mymensingh region. The educational institutions he founded are still spreading the light of knowledge and leading countless students towards a bright future. He was truly an exceptional educational entrepreneur and a figure to follow.
