By: Nasar Zada
UPPER DIR: In a heart-warming gesture that has moved many, former students of District Council Public School Dir Upper in Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa surprised their longtime teacher, Irshad Shaheen, by gifting him a car, a tribute to four decades of dedication to education and advocacy in his area.
The emotional moment unfolded at a ceremony where Irshad Shaheen had been invited without any knowledge of the surprise awaiting him. As he arrived, he found dozens of his former students gathered together, a sight that left him visibly overwhelmed.
While speaking to Pakhtoon Digital at the ceremony, Irshad Shaheen said he had devoted nearly 40 years of his life to the teaching profession, educating students from both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many of his pupils, he added, are now settled across the world and engaged in respectable professions.
“Even today, I remain in contact with my students,” he asserted. “They are living dignified lives in countries such as England, Japan, Italy, Africa, the United States, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Seeing them all together was an emotional moment for me.”
Recalling the ceremony, he said he initially believed he was attending a routine function. “When I reached the venue and saw all my students present, I could not control my emotions. Then they handed me the keys to the car. It was an indescribable moment. I am deeply grateful and proud to be a teacher.”
Former student Dawood Wardag said the gesture was a collective effort by students who credit their teacher for shaping their lives. “We are proud of all our teachers, but teacher Irshad Shaheen sb is more than a teacher to us, and he is a spiritual father. The position we all hold today is because of him,” he said.
Another student, Fazal Arman, described Mr Shaheen as a compassionate and friendly mentor who treated all students equally. “That is why his students love him so deeply. Today’s gathering felt like we were back in our classroom, listening to our teacher once again,” he said.
The ceremony concluded with students paying tribute not only to their mentor but to teachers everywhere, highlighting the enduring impact educators can have on generations long after the classroom lessons have ended.
