In response to Mr. A.S.M.O. Subhan’s suggestion, IFB developed a project proposal for establishing a non-residential high level English medium school with a trained Principal from the UK to run under private management in Dhaka. Such a school, after successful operation within 3-5 years, may generate regular revenue to meet part of the operational cost of Jibon Tari floating hospital. He suggested that a separate charitable trust should be created and registered under Trust Act, where a few like-minded organizations will join the proposed trust. Also, Impact Foundation Bangladesh, being a Founder Trustee, will receive regular financial grant from the proposed trust to support the Jibon Tari project.
In April 1995, Mr Subhan invited a group of following individuals of respective organisations to join the proposed Charitable Trust under the name and style of Social Services & Management Trust (SSMT) to establish and run an English medium school in Dhaka. Accordingly, the founding meeting of the Trust was held at Camellia House in Dhaka on 18th April 1995 and it was attended by:
- A.S.M.O. Subhan, Managing Director, Duncan Brothers Bangladesh Limited.
- Shafat Ahmed Choudhury Actuary, Managing Director, Delta Life Insurance Company Limited.
- Mrs. Yasmin Murshed, Founder Chair, Scholastica School.
- Harun-Ur-Rashid, Executive Director, United Insurance Company Limited.
- Monsur Ahmed Choudhuri, Director, Impact Foundation Bangladesh.
Every Founder Trustee contributed Tk.1 lakh each from their respective organizations as seed money. However, late M.S. Samad, Chairman & Managing Director, Bangladesh General Insurance Company Limited, expressed inability to participate in the Trust but made the contribution of Tk. 1 lakh from the company to SSMT to add to the seed fund. Also, he requested that Mr. Anisuzzaman Choudhury F.C.A., would attend the meeting from time to time on behalf of BGIC. Thus, SSMT was founded on 18th April 1995 and was registered under BANGLADESH TRUST ACT 1872 and it decided to elect Mr. A.S.M.O. Subhan as the Chair and Mr. Monsur Ahmed Choudhuri to work as Honorary Secretary of the Board.
The deed of Trust of SSMT incorporated following article in order to ensure financial support to Impact Foundation Bangladesh from SSMT and the clause of the Trust is quoted below:
Ms. Sarah Streeton, the first Principal
Ms. Sarah Streeton was appointed as the first principal of the school. During the 2nd half of 2001, Ms. Sarah Streeton informed the Chairman that she had brought the school to a certain level having high academic standards, having trained faculties and was operating towards the right direction. According to her, higher classes would need a qualified head teacher trained for running a high school. She was a qualified primary level teacher. The Board of Trustees then decided to release her in the 1st quarter of 2002. The Board requested the Chairman to select a senior head teacher of the middle school from England to take over as the Principal of Sir John Wilson School. Meanwhile, the Board requested Mrs. Nasreen Subhan, wife of Mr. A.S.M.O. Subhan, to take the charge of Sir John Wilson’s School as Honorary Director for the period until someone was finally selected. Ms Ann Burghard was appointed as the second principal of the school in 2002. In 2006 Mrs Nasreen Subhan and Mr Imran Ahmed of Duncans were registered as trustees.
After Mr Subhan passed away in 2007, Mr Imran Ahmed, newly appointed Managing Director of Duncan Brothers, became the Chairman and Mr Rouf of Duncan Brothers became another trustee. Due to official reasons the last two persons resigned from the Board in 2011. To meet the requirement of the deed of Trust, in order to ensure the Board with minimum five Trustees, Ms. Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Eminent Artist, and Barrister Rehan Husain were inducted as the Trustees on 15th June 2011 at the special meeting of the Board. Further Mr. Anisuzzaman Choudhury F.C.A., was elected as the 3rd Chairman of the Trust in the same meeting.
Ms Ann Burghard, the second Principal
Ms Ann Burghard decided to resign at the end of 2015 and another expatriate was appointed as the new principal. She was Ms Kirsten Franklin who stayed for a year but due the political unrest and her mother`s deteriorating health, Ms Franklin also resigned as the principal.
Ms Kirsten Franklin, , the third Principal
The school operated in three rented properties until January 2016. The construction work of the campus at Satarkul which had been bought by the Trust in the previous year, continued since the last quarter of 2015. The senior academic section of the school shifted to the newly constructed campus from January 2016 and the remaining classes shifted to the new campus in the beginning of 2017.
Fourth principal, Brigadier Beg, on the left and fifth and present principal, Sabrina Shaheed
The Board at that point decided to recruit a local experienced Principal and accordingly Brig. Gen (retd.) Tozammel Hossain Beg was recruited for 2 years from September 2014.
A graduation ceremony where the trustees were present with the chief guest was Mr. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury
The school was carrying out its regular academic and extra-curricular activities at the usual high expected level. It was by that time that the students’ enrolment in the school was 1600. School was generating revenue at a satisfactory level and was paying income tax annually since 2001-02 fiscal year and VAT imposed by the government in 2006-07 fiscal year. SSMT started paying back the bank loan with interest on instalment basis every quarter from 2016. It may be mentioned here that SSMT utilized only Tk. 47 crore against the approved loan of Tk. 70 crore from the bank. Furthermore, Sir John Wilson’s School paid approximately Tk. 3 crore from its own source.
The Holey Artisan Tragedy of 1st July 2016 came as a sudden blow in our social and economic life. On the ground of security of the school, SSMT enhanced security force and strengthened the security arrangement (modern gadgets) during school hours and beyond since the population of United City at that time was thin.
Brig. Gen (retd.) Tozammel Hossain Beg discontinued his employment on the completion of his contract with SSMT at the end of August 2016. It was observed that recruitment of expatriate principal became more challenging and difficult due to the nationwide insecurity situation. Under these circumstances, the Board of Trustees decided to promote Ms. Sabrina Shahid, Vice Principal of the Junior Section of Sir John Wilson’s School, who was working as Faculty since 1995, as Principal of the school.
The Board of Trustees realized that their personal financial obligation to Pubali Bank, due to furnishing their personal guarantee, was no doubt a very big challenge. It was estimated that the amount of loan along with interest could not completely be paid back before 2030 and Trustees would not be free from the bank loan obligation. This financial challenge was seriously discussed in the Board of Trustees of SSMT. Another issue was that the most of the trustees, especially the then Chairman, Mr Anisuzzaman FCA found that their age was not conducive to running such a large school. Trustees of the Board of SSMT decided to transfer this responsibility to any growing enterprise by sale. Finally, the Board of Trustees of SSMT through its Chairman, Mr. Anisuzzaman Choudhury F.C.A. and subsequently through Mrs. Nasreen Subhan, Trustee, negotiated with the top management of the United Group to purchase Sir John Wilson’s School as an ongoing project. The deed of registration of the sale was concluded on 14th January 2019 and the outstanding bank loan with Pubali Bank Limited for the construction of the building was settled on the same day through bank transfer.
The current status of the Board of SSMT:
Chairman and Trustee
Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
Honorary Director
Sir John Wilson School – 2008 to 2019
- MA in Economics from Dhaka University, 1977.
- MS from Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, UK, 1980
- A member of management and Academic Advisor for Scholastica School from 1992 to 2000.
- Trustee and Academic and Welfare Advisor, Camellia Duncan Foundation, Bangladesh.
- At present serving as a Director of Camellia Foundation, UK
- Founder, Managing Trustee, Abu Subhan Welfare Trust.
Trustee and Secretary
Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
- Human Rights activist for Persons with Disabilities
- Member, Executive Board, Disability Council International
- Founder Trustee, Impact Foundation Bangladesh
- Trustee, Bishwo Sahitto Kendro
- Founder Trustee, Abu Subhan Welfare Trust;
- Member, Board of Directors, South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh;
- Former Member, UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Trustee Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
- Present Position: Visual Artist.
- Attended the School of Art, University of Dhaka in Bangladesh and received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1986. Also Studied Art at Pennsylvania State University in the United States from 1993 to 1994, where she received the Mid-American Arts Alliance Fellowship.
- Donor member of American Museum, Florida, USA
- Donor member of Liberation war Museum, Bangladesh.
- Executive member of Nari Progoti Shangha, Bangladesh
- Trustee SJWS
- Trustee ABU SUBHAN WELFARE TRUST
- Founder Member of Shako Woman Artist Organisation, Bangladesh.
Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
- Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh (since 1999)
- Trustee, Social Services and Management Trust
- Founder Member, Notre Dame College Alumni Association
- Former Lecturer of Law at various renowned Institutes like Bhuiyan Academy, London College of Legal Studies (LCLS), Dhaka Centre of Law and Economics (DCLE), Institute of Buisiness Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka
- Legal Advisor to various orgnisations. Some of which are: Kumudini Welfare Trust of Bengal (BB) Limited, University of Asia Pacific, BRAG Bank, IDLC etc.
Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
- Over 42 years of Corporate Banking experience. Attended various international banking assignments in Hongkong, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, London, Paris
- PhD in Finance, USA.
- MBA major in International Finance, UK
- Former Managing Director of a joint venture Financial Institution.
- Holding Board Membership of RDRS Bangladesh, Impact Bangladesh, MIDAS, ASWT.
- Former Board Member of different trade bodies- FICCI, FBCCI.
- Former part time Faculty Member of MBA courses at different private Universities of Bangladesh.
- Former Secretary General of Baridhara Society.
Board of Social Services and Management Trust (SSMT)
- A F Nesaruddin FCA, FCS, is a senior Chartered Accountant with more than 40 years of post-qualification experience in audit, tax, corporate finance, and advisory services. A Past President of ICAB, he specializes in MNC and listed company audits, valuations. due diligence, and business advisory services. With his long practical experience, he currently focuses on governance, special investigations, fraud examiners and business succession plans. He has to his credit, a number of articles published on corporate governance and taxation in leading dailies. He occasionally appears television talk show on contemporary business, economic, tax and governance issues. He currently works on national policy in the role of Member, Capital Market Reform Task Force. He was on the boards of many large bank, listed entities and government organisations as independent or nominated director. He is the founder of Nesar Shahin Welfare Trust and currently associated with few other charitable trusts and social services organisations in different capacities.
