With Thanks and Appreciation

Dr Salwa Hassan Siddig
The “timeline”, as it is commonly known, was dominated over the past few days by a different kind of celebration: an international day designated “Principal’s Day”, much like World Mental Health Day, World Environment Day, World Heart Day, and many other such observances.
That day took on a different meaning for us, because many Sudanese schools marked the occasion by celebrating their principals, in a gesture of loyalty and gratitude. They did so in the quintessentially Sudanese way: simplicity in everything, warmth and affection that flow without restraint, bonds of goodwill sustained through generosity, and eyes that speak of genuine feeling and heartfelt appreciation.
The school principal, or al-nazir, as the position was once known, has remained much the same despite changing times and methods. He embodies Miss Hekmat’s conscience, ever present and expected to spread justice throughout the land and bring reassurance to every corner.
At one time, the principal represented absolute authority in its fullest expression. Yet, if even the al-alifa, as described by the poet Muhyiddin Al-Fatih, wielded authority in those days, what could one expect of the school inspector or principal?
In describing the al-alifa, he wrote:
“Seated, his gathering is more expansive; standing, his stature is taller.”
Today, we live in what human resources scholars and trainers call the era of hybrid management: an age of leadership through love and firmness.
A school principal is, first and foremost, a teacher who has progressed through the profession and experienced its different stages. He has supervised the morning assembly, breathed in the smell of chalk, distributed papers and waited until the final lesson of the day.
For him, school administration is a natural stage in his professional journey, one he has been prepared for by the seasoning of experience and the patience he has acquired through long hours of work. He is the person best suited to the task. Who else could endure the complexities of education and upbringing, and the mischief of its young charges, as Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi vividly describes in his famous poem The Children’s Teacher?
I was deeply touched by the loyalty teachers showed their principals, and by the thoughtful choice of a day whose significance extended beyond appearances to the very heart of the occasion, with pupils taking part as well. Education is about setting an example before it is about issuing instructions or keeping accounts. The more inspiring the example, the more lasting its positive influence on the surrounding environment—an influence that may endure for decades and across generations.
I was particularly delighted that the great poet Al-Tijani Haj Musa participated in one school’s Principal’s Day celebrations. There he was, reciting his wonderful poem, The Children’s Paradise Anthem, alongside the children from the famous programme broadcast on Sudan Television, Jannat Al-Atfal (Children’s Paradise).
“Thank you, and we appreciate you…
To our female teachers and male teachers…
To our women teachers and men teachers…
The morning bell rings out like the call to prayer, announcing that lessons are about to begin.
Our classes march in orderly lines, behaving with good manners.
We greet the flag,
Carrying our books and pens,
And head straight to our classrooms, repeating:
Thank you, and we appreciate you.”
And we, too, offer our thanks and appreciation to our great poet, Al-Tijani Haj Musa. Your creativity will remain an enduring symbol of a generation devoted to giving—a song for a lesson in civic education.
We wish you well. How greatly we need songs like these in our present time, an age marked by loss, deprivation and a lack of belonging.
More, more of this, please! When and how will we bring these giants of our cultural life to speak and share their gifts, Ministry of Culture?

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=19257