A group photograph of professors and lecturers at Rangoon University in 1954, including Mr. Faiz (center) from the Rohingya community. Mr. Faiz was born in Maungdaw and became one of the most revered teachers and headmasters from the Rohingya community. He was the inspector of Schools in North Arakan from the 1920s until the Japanese occupation in 1942. He was headmaster at the State High School in Maungdaw and then became the District Education Officer. He passed away in 1958.
“The one sitting in the middle is Mr. Faiz. He was a headmaster of State High School in Maungdaw. Young students respected him and always tried to follow his instructions. He gave us an education, but he also built us in a way to become leaders with good leadership skills.
“I studied kindergarten and first grade under his supervision. Those who studied before us still cannot forget him. He passed away in 1958 in Mawlamyine. I still remember the prayer we did in Maungdaw for him when he passed away.”
Aman Ullah, Rohingya elder (2023)