The news of Mrs Rasheeda Mohideen’s demise came as shock to us, the alumni of Ilma International Girls’ School, on the morning of the 15th of September, 2018.  A lady with so much energy, vitality, poise and elegance is no more. Mrs Mohideen, our founder principal, was an iconic figure in the history of Ilma International Girls’ School. The one who was our role model these past decades has bid farewell to us all. May Allah grant her the highest abode in Jannah! In sha Allah!  

Mrs Mohideen, who was both born and raised in Jaffna, exhibited academic brilliance from a young age. Her first teaching post was at the Muslim Ladies College, Colombo, at the tender age of 16. She then worked at the Education Department and moved to Abu Dhabi where she worked in an Islamic international school. This is where she saw a dream!

She came back to Sri Lanka with a dream, a vision for the girl child of our community and thus Ilma was born on the 18^th of January, 1988. Ilma International Girls’ School was one of the first few international schools in the island and the only one solely for girls. Mrs Mohideen started Ilma with a handful of teachers and a few hundred students. Then working tirelessly with grit, determination and the persistent support of Mr Mohideen and Mr Saleem, our founder directors, she was able to shift the school to Thalakotuwa Gardens, its current premises in 1991. Hence, Ilma’s journey of greatness began with Mrs Mohideen at the helm till her retirement in 2006.    

“She treated us like queens!” this is what a past teacher once told me about Mrs. Mohideen after her retirement. I, being a teacher myself can imagine how satisfying that experience would have been for a teacher to work under such an admirable and awe-inspiring lady. Mrs Mohideen with her immense knowledge, wisdom and foresight knew the importance of keeping teachers happy, if they were happy they would in turn dedicate themselves to the students producing excellent well-rounded pupils, to Mrs Mohideen her students were the first priority.

Ever since the inception of Ilma International Girls’ School many pupils have been nourished with thriving education and religious values one after the other and it is proudly stated that today many of them are either in successful fields, pursuing higher education here and abroad, have started small scale businesses or have taken stride to pass over their knowledge to the future generations of Ilma. Our role model was none other than our dearest Madam, Mrs  Mohideen, as she herself was an exemplary wife, devoted mother and loving grandmother while working to build a great school like Ilma International Girls’ School through whose corridors thousands of students have passed becoming remarkable  wives, outstanding mothers and  renowned career women.

Mrs Mohideen once told me, “I make istikharah before making any decision about the school, may it be a big one or small.” This shows how precious the school was to her, she knew that it was an amana educating so many girls of the community, giving them the deen as well as the duniya. She showed us what was right and guided us in every matter of our lives, hence we did not have to look elsewhere, and she was right in front of us as our mentor. At school she was our mother and we were her children, she would always be in the forefront giving us words of advice whenever we needed them.

It saddens me today that the present and the future generations of Ilma will not be fortunate enough to have this charismatic lady steering them to a glorious future. However, it is heartening to know that though she may be no more, her spirit, her words of wisdom and the values that she inculcated in us will always continue to echo in each and every classroom and corridor of Ilma International Girls’ School. 

Abeeda Sulaiman (Vice Patron of IIOGA)