Dubai: When Navoor K. R. Jamaluddin was 30 years old, he baffled his close-knit community in the Alleppey district of Kerala, India, with a life-changing decision: He was leaving for Dubai.It was 1965. The United Arab Emirates was still six years away from formation. To get to this far-off region, Jamaluddin had to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the British Political Agency (similar to today’s British consulate) and gain permission to enter what was then known as the Trucial States.With his NOC in hand, Jamaluddin boarded a ship called Sandhya from Bombay, now Mumbai, India. He had just 200 Rupees (equivalent to around AED 7.75 today) in his pocket. On approaching land after four days at sea, he saw that there was no port in Dubai. He said: “Our ship anchored out at sea, and we reached the mainland via small wooden boats.”He had finally arrived.The city Jamaluddin called home 61 years ago was a very different Dubai from the metropolitan hub we know today: “When I arrived on the shores of Dubai on February 26, 1965, the world was completely different. There were no inter-emirate roads, no air conditioning, and no refrigeration. We used kerosene supplied by donkey carts, for cooking, and used coal to heat our clothing irons. There were no telephone lines to call our families back home. The landmarks were sparse, like the Shindagha Tunnel, the Drydocks, and eventually the Dubai World Trade Centre.”It was an entirely different world. Still, there was a reason why Jamaluddin left his beloved village of humble farmers and merchants to travel to a foreign land, where he knew no one. He said: “I have always been an adventurous man, constantly compelled to explore new horizons. I chose Dubai because, even back then, I sensed a unique spark of potential here. While many in my community opposed the idea of me travelling alone into the unknown, my family believed deeply in my vision.”In an old passport, you can spot an immigration stamp issued in 1972. Picture credit: Ashok VermaLiving the dreamFast-forward to today, and 91-year-old Jamaluddin can proudly say his vision is now reality.In 1984, he fulfilled a long-held dream by founding Crescent English High School in a modest villa in Rashidiya. This school is unlike any other: Jamaluddin made the deliberate choice to keep tuition fees at an affordable level for low- to middle-income families. Even today, the fee averages around Dh3,500 per year, and has remained one of the lowest in Dubai for over 41 years.Jamaluddin said the school manages to maintain its current fee structure by operating in a highly efficient single morning shift: “We ensure that high-quality education remains affordable for hardworking expatriate families.”Ensuring an affordable education is important to him. He explained why: “For me, Crescent English High School has never been a commercial business; it is a lifelong mission of social service. I firmly believe that as long as the Almighty blesses us with breath, we must use our time to lift others. Education should be a universal key to human empowerment, not an exclusive luxury.”Today, Crescent English High School follows the Indian CBSE curriculum, and has over 1,600 students on its roster, from diverse nationalities. The school moved from its Rashidiya location to a bigger campus in Nad Al Hammar in 1993, and eventually established itself in its current spacious premises in Al Qusais in 2000.Starting his own educational institution was not easy. It was an uphill battle against immense logistical and financial hurdles, according to Jamaluddin. But he credits Dubai and its leadership as his motivation to keep pushing forward: “Watching Dubai grow under the wise, compassionate, and foundational guidance of its late ruler, His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, inspired me to persevere. I wanted my school to be a brick in the grand wall of his vision for human development.”Although he was never able to meet his role model, Sheikh Rashid, he was invited to meet with His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, earlier this year, and was honoured for his contributions to the country.Jamaluddin was invited to meet with Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and was honoured for his years of service. Picture credit: SuppliedJamaluddin said it was an unforgettable experience: “When His Highness learned that I am one of the senior-most residents in Dubai, having dedicated over six decades to the nation’s educational sector, he graciously granted me an audience. He welcomed me with overwhelming warmth and respect. It is a testament to the nobility of the Ruling families that they genuinely value, honour, and remember the elders of the expatriate community who helped lay the bricks of modern Dubai. I am profoundly grateful to him for his kindness and his ongoing, brilliant leadership.”A debt repaidEducation has been vital to Jamaluddin’s journey and purpose in Dubai. But what draws him to this vocation? The answer goes back several decades.He explained: “To understand why I started the school, you have to understand my childhood. Growing up in my village, educational facilities were scarce. My first school only went up to grade 3. To attend grades 4 and 5, my sisters and I walked five kilometres daily to another village. For high school, I walked seven kilometres to the nearest town, and later cycled 12km every day to attend college. My father deeply instilled the value of education in me, and I became the very first Muslim university graduate from my village.”Although he knew he wanted to leave behind a legacy in education, he couldn’t immediately act on his dream. First, he had to earn a living, as a newly arrived resident of Dubai.Jamaluddin spent nearly two decades in the banking sector, initially with First National City Bank (now Citibank) and later, with the Bank of Oman (now Mashreq Bank). He said: “As one of the first Indian bank managers in the region, I was proud to help introduce the Indian draft system, allowing our expatriate community to send their hard-earned savings home legally and safely.”Jamaluddin in the 1980s, as a banking professional in Dubai. Picture credit: SuppliedDespite his stable career in banking, Jamaluddin knew he had a different calling: “My heart was always in social work. I realised that the capacity to serve humanity within a bank is inherently limited. Education, however, is the ultimate noble cause, as it builds minds permanently.”Jamaluddin working in the Bank of Oman, and using an Olivetti mechanical calculator. Picture credit: SuppliedHe quit his job at the Bank of Oman in 1983 and dedicated all his time to establishing his school. The rest is history.Jamaluddin says he measures the impact of his school not by financial profit, but by the thousands of successful young people that have passed through its gates. He said: “The UAE has given me so much. This school is my way of repaying that debt.”Service through generationsAmong the many reasons why Jamaluddin loves Dubai, is the fact that it is the city where his family has grown and flourished. He said: “I returned to Kerala in 1966 for an arranged marriage, and my wife Zeenath Mohammed joined me here on May 7, 1967. This blessed city is where we laid our foundations and raised our children, instilling core values of gratitude, faith, and public service.”Jamaluddin’s legacy of giving back continues through the generations. Four of his five children are accomplished medical professionals – a specialist internal medicine physician, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon, a gynaecologist, and a specialist restorative dentist. His youngest daughter, although not a doctor, graduated in another service-based field: human resources management.Now, five of his grandchildren are also taking his dream of service forward, by entering the medical field in their respective universities.Jamaluddin said he is incredibly grateful his family is able to contribute to the country that has given him so much: “As I have dedicated my entire adult life to this country, my greatest wish is for my children and grandchildren to continue living here, carrying forward the torch of public service and actively contributing to the growth of this great nation.”He calls Dubai his “true home” – a place where his family has roots, and where his school will scale and prosper. He said: “Having spent 61 years here, I have lived the vast majority of my 91 years on this soil, far longer than I ever lived in India. My late wife passed away and is buried peacefully here. For our family, Dubai holds our past, our present, and our future.”Last year, his son Dr Riyas Jamaluddin collaborated with Dubai Airports to surprise him for his 60 years in the UAE. Since there were no immigration stamps in 1965, the airport commemorated his time in Dubai by adding a retroactive entry stamp in his passport. The educator said it meant a lot to him. Looking back, he thinks about the view from the wooden boat that brought him to Dubai’s shores. The view today would be very different, but the city, at its core, is the same.Jamaluddin said: “Amid this dazzling modernisation, the soul of Dubai has remained completely untouched. The beautiful, open-hearted, welcoming attitude of the leadership and the Emirati people is the same today as it was in 1965. The spirit of inclusivity and deep mutual respect extended to all has never wavered. In Dubai, there is no dividing line in the hearts of the people; we live together as one harmonious family.”And the legacy goes on.
