Readers – who bother to read and interact by commenting, whether agreeing or disagreeing, and
sometimes their comments are more detailed or clearer than what the writer
wrote… or may present an addition that could be more important and credible
than what written by the writer – have the right to know about the writer’s
intentions.
So here I say that I intended
to write about the role of the individual in history between charisma, heroism
and historical role… I also intend to write about the right standards I believe
should be used in overshadowing or evaluating historical phases and phenomena
in the life of mankind and history of nations… and the difference between
retail calculations and history estimations… and all this is connected to what I
called “July-Nasser Syndrome” which some people get afflicted with in certain seasons
of the year.
However, I’m really
exhausted of such game with those mostly incompetent amateurs playing… so, I excuse
you to postpone writing about what I mentioned above to write about other
things as I found there are many who find fun in the same aspect; that is our
personal memories with the living reality…
I got my secondary
school degree; literary section, from Al-Ahmadiya secondary school in Tanta…
together with Tanta Al-Thanawiya, they were the most distinguished schools in
the beautiful city of Tanta…
Al-Ahmadiya – it was
named Ahmadiya due to Sidi Ahmed el-Badawi, descendent of prophet Muhammed – school
used to occupy a vast area where it was looking over Othman Pasha Muhammed st.
and Al-Madares st.… separated in the back by a small street from a private
school; that is Al-Tawfiqiya school where those good-for-nothing students who
got low grades not enough to qualify them for government public secondary
schools go… before our school, there was another small street separating it
from its more-than 4-feddans big courtyard… that courtyard used to hold sport
activities for Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Running,
Wrestling and Body building.
The school used to have
a high long wall fencing it but that wall was not high enough to prevent those
who wanted to escape school in daylight… our school used to have an iron gate
where a dark skin man with curled-up moustache wearing white turban and
Galabiya used to stand… that man, named Farag, used to block the gate way holding
the two iron gates with his tight fest allowing no one to escape…
Once you delve through
the gate, you could find a small lobby leading right to a five-step stairs that
in turn leads to a long corridor where administration offices lie… right in the
front, you can find the door leading to the inside courtyard where there were
an old building and another new one encompassing all classes from first to
third grade… we used to choose our specialization, either scientific or literary,
starting from the second year.
In that courtyard,
there was a mosque, canteen, WCs – where students who used to smoke secretly
liked to go – storerooms and books… the courtyard was very spacious place where
we used to line up in parallel adjacent queues in the morning assembly… also,
there was a rectangular wooden table about 20 cm high where the microphone was
placed and behind it the leader of the assembly used to stand…
That leader was a reserve major of the teachers who studied in the College of Egyptian Reserve Officers and later distributed over schools to teach military training curriculum… accompanying him were a group of two captains, two lieutenant and a bunch of Non-Commissioned Officers, meaning First Sergeant, Second Sergeant, and a Corporal… in addition to a few students who got promoted until one of them – his name was “Hassan Bargal” – reached to be the school’s First Sergeant who used to line us in queues and then give the military salute to the major officer… afterwards, the major steps towards the high commander of the school; the headmaster, to raise his hand in salute indicating all are in order… then, he used to call for orders’ reader; a student holding the rank of corporal to read orders of Al-Ahmadiya secondary school issued by Mr. Abdel-Qader Salim; the headmaster… then he reads article 1…etc. to the rest of articles… and finally ending by three words: “God… Homeland… by order”.
Our school day was
long with two breaks… prior to the second one, we used to have our daily meal
which was distributed in class everyday… we also had physical fitness classes…
drawing, art crafts, music and hobbies… “tyrant” corridors’ supervising teachers,
who used to dress in complete uniform of suits with neck ties, also used to
hold a punishing stick in their right hand or by an office man walking behind
them… it was really unpleasant if you were caught out of your class or
quarreling…
In the school, we
gathered more than once to chant slogans calling for Arab unity as I was enrolled
in the school year 1958/59… we chanted against separation when our college
Ahmed el-Agami; Weight lifting and body building champion stepped to try to
unlock the iron barricade blocking the entrance of the courtyard leading to
Al-Madares st… Then, the headmaster came and gave a speech and ordered the door
be opened for our demonstration to meet with Tanta secondary school, Al-Qased
secondary school and Al-Aqqbat secondary school’s demonstrations… in addition
to other preparatory schools… while girls of “Tanta secondary school for girls”
were trying to come out in turn raising their voices from the windows
overlooking our school courtyard… where you could find all lovers standing at
corners, over trees’ branches or over the fence wall… atop of them was our
college Abdel-Qader Swailam, the creative painter who used to hold a sketchbook
and coal pencil to draw girlfriends’ faces for those who wanted… and for very
little money.
Social inequality was
apparent until it was decided everyone should were the military training
uniform which we used to receive from school… the uniform consisted of dark
blue trousers, grey chemise, black military shoes and dark beige belt… Students
coming from rich families – I first wrote old-established then I removed it
since being old-established is different to being rich – used to come riding
their cars sometimes and dressed in complete suits… they also had special sport
uniforms and were monopolizing Hockey team… and sometimes, they used to hold
guns hidden around their waists under the jacket… they used to receive food by their
servants or chauffeurs in special food columns… However, some of them were
really very nice and simple people… we witnessed no discrimination or bias by
our school management… meaning if anyone was worth punishment, then he shall
open his hands flat for the schoolmaster or courtyard supervisor to hit him with
the stick… otherwise, office man; called Abbass, would be summoned to hold him…
For those who do not
know the meaning of holding; it means that office man Abbass would seize the student
holding him at the waist for the stick to hit his back until punishment is over…
or Abbass shall take off the student’s shoes and socks holding his legs up for
the stick to hit the bottom of them not caring about the student’s yelling “please,
forgive me master… I will not do it again”.
We used to hold
competitions in Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Gymnastics, and running
between schools of Tanta and other schools of other governorates… we also
organized competitions in drawing, music, journalism, oratory and shooting… we
used to go to a secluded shop selling stationery in Taha El-Hakim st. which also
used to sell “Eva’s diaries” and naked pictures… we also witnessed letters
thrown in the way of girls coming out of Tanta secondary school for girls… love
stories… and fierce competitions in that respect…
And definitely, we had
the guts to escape school… I was in first grade secondary school when I came
from Al-Ahmadiya preparatory school wearing shorts and aged 13 but with a great
desire to mimic senior students… I started smoking “Wings”-brand cigarettes
with other hiding smokers… and one day, I jumped over the wall to escape with
senior students…
I climbed the wall
with great difficulty and once I turned around giving my back to the other side
and getting down very cautiously lest I fall down, I felt a hand helping me to
land safely… once I landed, I found it was the hand of Mr. general manager of
the ministry of education in Gharbiya governorate accompanied by a group of
senior officials of the governorate’s ministry department in addition to the headmaster…
That general manager
was known to be so tough and vigilant… he knew about students of Al-Ahmadiya
secondary school escaping by jumping the wall and so he decided to see himself…
and the first capture was me… he soon asked for my guardian; my father, deputy
headmaster of Tanta preparatory school, to come… and that was another story to
tell.
That was our school…
and those were the days.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This
article was published in Almasry alyoum newspaper on August 3, 2016.
To
see the original article, go to:
#almasry_alyoum
#ahmed_elgammal #Tanta
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