Trophies aplenty but no money to attend college

Dubai: Seventeen-year-old Indian expatriate Shahra Jafar Ali is sitting in her small Nad Al Sheba house, surrounded by dozens of trophies big and small. The eldest of three siblings, she proudly poses with the shiny golden medals and cups, all souvenirs of her success in school and outside. “All these are mine,” she gushes. Flanked by her mother, Shahra cheerfully talks about her passion for studies and recounts her high scores in grade 12 and 10 – 78 and 83 per cent respectively.

Daughter of a widowed Sri Lankan who came to the UAE on a maid’s visa in 1991, Shahra is seeking financial help to pursue college education as her mother is unable to support her. Shahra’s schooling was sponsored by an Emirati family that employed her Indian father, Jafar Ali Kader Ushen, as a PRO.

Ushen died in a road accident seven years ago at the age of 40. Shahra was just 10 years old. Her mother, Fathima, worked as a housemaid for the same Emirati family. Following Ushen’s death, Shahra, her mum and two younger brothers have been living off the generosity of the Emirati sponsor, who is also funding the education of her brothers. The family also gets Dh2,000 monthly to take care of basic needs.

But now, Shahra’s education has hit a roadblock. For the last seven months, Shahra is sitting at home waiting for some help to fund her college. “I love studying and hate sitting idle. I was very active in school and took part in many extracurricular activities, but now I am forced to sit at home doing nothing. I cannot bear it,” she said in fluent English.

Shahra finished her high school in May from Crescent English High School in Dubai. Her two brothers – Mohammad, 16, in Grade 11 and Majid, 11, in Grade 7 – are also in the same school.

A self-confessed Bollywood fan, Shahra wants to pursue computer science. “I am keen to do my college and start working immediately. We are blessed to have such a good sponsor who is taking care of us, but I want to become independent and help my family. Even now, I am ready to start working, but that will not be enough to take care of my college and my brothers’ schooling.”

Fathima, speaking in her native Tamil, said: “I am blessed, my daughter is very talented. She is gifted and energetic and that is why I am asking for an opportunity for her to go to college. Our sponsor has been so kind and we will be ever grateful to them. Now, if we can get any additional support for her college, it will be a great help. I don’t want her to end up like me.”

Fathima came to Dubai in 1991 where she met her husband. “He worked as a PRO for the same sponsor who got me here. We fell in love and were married three years later. Shahra was born two years after our marriage.”

Shirley Sha, senior coordinator of Crescent English High School told XPRESS Shahra was nothing less than an all-rounder. “She was excellent in sports and a house captain. She was good in studies, dance, recitation, you name it. She deserves an opportunity to be educated and I hope she gets it.”

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