On Sunday morning, when parents of the NEET applicants jostled around the Al-Ameen Public School, which was the test-centre, the management of the Hira Juma Masjid came out in full force to help them out. (Photo credit: Staff of Hira Juma Masjid)The management of a mosque near the town of Aluva in Kerala is winning hearts for it’s empathetic and humane approach during the conduct of the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday. The nationwide examination determines the qualification of students for MBBS/ BDS courses in government and private medical/ dental colleges.
During the NEET 2019 test, it’s common to witness parents and guardians of students who write the exam waiting patiently and often nervously around the exam centre in the hot sun for hours. Over the years, there have been complaints that no proper arrangements are made by organisers of the examination to even provide drinking water to them. But in Sreemoolanagaram, located close to Aluva, the management of Hira Juma Masjid are showing the way on how it’s done.
The mosque was thrown open for around 400 parents and guardians to rest. On Sunday morning, when parents of the NEET applicants jostled around the Al-Ameen Public School, which was the test-centre, the management of the Hira Juma Masjid, located adjacently, came out in full force to help them out. If some students didn’t have the required documents like an additional photograph or a photocopy, the mosque would aid them in getting them done.
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Not just that, after the students filed into the centre, the mosque was thrown open for around 400 parents and guardians to rest. In the blistering Kerala summer, that’s a huge blessing. Mats were laid out on the ground as men and women sat and rested as their wards wrote the test. With their own funds, they also distributed tea and snacks to the visitors. The mosque compound was also thrown open so that vehicles could be parked. When the students came out of the test centre one by one, they were greeted with cold water and bananas by the mosque workers.
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“Our faith teaches us to help others and that’s all we’re doing. We did it in previous years and we continued to do it this year. It gives us great happiness to be able to do the bare minimum for these parents. We know how uncomfortable it is to stand in the afternoon sun without a shade,” said Mohd Koya, a member of the mosque trustee board.
