Ayesha Rauf
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Ayesha Rauf (1917 – 8 January 1992) was an Indian-born educator and politician in Sri Lanka. She served as principal of Muslim Ladies' College in Colombo and worked to expand educational opportunities for Muslim girls. In 1952, she became the city's first woman deputy mayor.[1]
Early life and education
According to Farzana Haniffa's biography, Rauf was born Ayesha Beebi Mayen in 1917 in Tellicherry, in present-day Kerala. She attended Sacred Heart Convent before pursuing higher education at colleges affiliated with the University of Madras. Haniffa describes her as the first Mappila woman in Malabar to receive a university degree.[2] Sources differ on her birth date: Haniffa gives 1917,[2] while an appreciation by the college's Retired Teachers Association gives 7 June 1914.[3]
She obtained a teaching licentiate and became a special officer for Muslim women's education. In 1943, she married M. S. M. Rauf, a Ceylonese businessman based in Coimbatore. They moved to Ceylon in 1944.[3]
Educational work
Rauf initially taught at the Government Girls' College in Maradana. After being approached by Razik Fareed, she joined Muslim Ladies' College, where she served as principal for approximately 25 years. She encouraged education among poorer families. In a retrospective account, the college's Retired Teachers Association stated that the school had grown to more than 1,000 pupils by her retirement.[3]
Political career
Rauf unsuccessfully contested the Colombo Central constituency as an independent in the 1947 parliamentary election. In 1949, she won the Pettah ward in the Colombo Municipal Council election, becoming the council's first Muslim woman member.[2]
She was deputy mayor from January 1952 to July 1954. In 1954, she joined the United National Party and subsequently represented St. Paul's ward. Following the transfer of Muslim Ladies' College to state control, she chose to retain her educational post and resigned from the council in 1961.[2]
Death
Rauf died of a heart attack in Colombo on 8 January 1992.[2]
References
- ↑ Retired Teachers Association, Muslim Ladies College (14 June 2015). "Pioneer principal at Muslim Ladies College". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 5 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Haniffa, Farzana (2014). Ayesha Rauf: A Pioneer of Muslim Women's Emancipation in Sri Lanka (PDF). Colombo: Social Scientists' Association. ISBN 978-955-0762-24-8. Search this book on
Cite error: Invalid parameter "details" in <ref>tag. The supported parameters are: dir, follow, group, name. - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Retired Teachers Association, Muslim Ladies College (14 June 2015). "Pioneer principal at Muslim Ladies College". The Sunday Times.
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