Dr. Abdul Qadeer bags Sir Syed Excellence Award: A modern-day torchbearer of educational reform
Dr Abdul Qadeer, founder of the Shaheen Group, has been conferred the Sir Syed Excellence Award 2025 by AMU for his transformative work in Muslim education. His journey from Bidar to national recognition reflects a lifelong commitment to ending school dropouts and uplifting marginalised communities.
Hyderabad: When you work all through the night, you have your day. This is true of Dr. Abdul Qadeer, founder, Shaheen Group of Educational Institutions. He has spent decades transforming the educational landscape for India’s Muslim community.
His lifelong dedication has now earned him the prestigious Sir Syed Excellence Award 2025, conferred by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on the occasion of the 208th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the university’s founder.
Much like Sir Syed, who championed the cause of modern education among Muslims in the 19th century, Dr. Qadeer has dedicated his life to spreading learning and enlightenment among marginalised sections. It is no wonder that he is often hailed as the “Sir Syed of South India.”
Inspired by Sir Syed’s vision, Dr. Qadeer has worked tirelessly to reconcile faith with reason, tradition with modernity, and community uplift with national progress. The AMU award, he says, has further strengthened his resolve. “I now vow to end the curse of school dropouts in Muslim society,” declares an elated Dr. Qadeer after receiving the honour.
His journey is as inspiring as it is humbling. What began in 1989 as a modest initiative in a single-room tenement with just 18 students in Karnataka’s Bidar district has today blossomed into a vast educational network, the Shaheen Group, with over 30,000 students enrolled across India.
With his characteristic humility and determination, Dr. Abdul Qadeer reaffirms his mission: to ensure that no child from the community is forced to drop out of school. The Sir Syed Excellence Award, he says, is not just an honour, it is an encouragement to redouble his efforts in building a brighter and more educated future.
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