Senior Teacher | Wife of Mohammad Mahboob
"When a government job offer came for me, my husband and I together chose Salma - and I am proud of that decision to this day."
Shabnam was born in Meerut into a family of ten sisters and one brother. Her father was a well-known wrestler of his time, and both her parents - themselves uneducated - ensured all their children received good schooling. Shabnam completed her primary education at Huma Academy School in Meerut, and later passed her High School and Intermediate through the UP Board. She went on to earn her post-graduation in Urdu from Chaudhary Charan Singh University.
Even as a Class 8 student, Shabnam began tutoring neighbourhood children - first coaxing them with snacks, then watching their families gradually enrol them in school. That early instinct to teach never left her.
She married Mohammad Mahboob in 2002 and moved to Rataul. Within a month of her wedding, she began teaching at Salma - part-time at first, and then, under Sheeba Ma'am's encouragement, continuing to the present day. She completed her B.A. and M.A. while teaching at Salma, and even cleared the B.Ed. entrance exam, though family responsibilities prevented her from completing the degree.
Headstrong's English-speaking course gave her a meaningful chance to improve her own spoken English - an opportunity she took seriously. Since then, Headstrong, Genpact and Clearwater Analytics have brought new energy and new techniques to the school, and Shabnam has witnessed the transformation of parents' attitudes from indifference to genuine investment in their children's education.
Of her three children: her elder daughter Roshni has completed a History Honours B.A. from Delhi University and is continuing with her M.A. there; her younger daughter Soha is completing her B.Pharma from APJ Abdul Kalam University; and her son appeared for his Class 12 CBSE exams this year. All three grew up inside Salma's educational environment - and Shabnam credits Zahoor Sir, Nishat Ma'am and Sheeba Ma'am for this.
At one point, a government teaching position was arranged for her through the Principal of Faiz-e-Aam Degree College - based on her Urdu qualifications. Nishat Ma'am's sister Rubab also requested documents for a government job. But Shabnam and Mahboob together chose to stay with Salma. "I am proud of that decision," she writes simply.