Ratna G. Chotrani/Hyderabad

At Our School @ 12th Avenue in Hyderabad's historic Hussaini Alam, the seating arrangement tells a story far bigger than academics.

A butcher's son sits beside a doctor's daughter. A child with a cochlear implant shares a desk with a classmate on the autism spectrum. The children of shopkeepers, engineers, daily wage earners, and professionals learn, play, and grow together.

This is no accident. It is the vision of educator Rubina Majid, who has dedicated her life to proving that every child—especially those considered "average" or "below average"—deserves an extraordinary opportunity to succeed.

Rubina Majid with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk

Rubina's journey began in Hyderabad, where she was born, and continued through Kashmir, where she completed her schooling. Armed with an MBA from the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University, she appeared destined for a career in business. Life, however, had different plans.

After marriage, Rubina moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where her husband, an aeronautical engineer with Saudi Airlines, was employed. Living in a comfortable expatriate community, she led a stable and predictable life until one unexpected knock on the door changed everything. A nearby school urgently needed a substitute teacher for a week. Would she help? Rubina agreed.

That simple "yes" transformed her future. Standing before a classroom of young students, she discovered a sense of purpose she had never experienced in lecture halls or management studies. Inspired by the experience, she pursued a Master's degree in Teaching English, certified by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Soon, she joined the U.S. Embassy School in Jeddah, where she taught students across grade levels. From helping second-graders master phonics to teaching chemistry and history to older students, Rubina developed a deep understanding of how children learn. More importantly, she learned that behind every test score is a unique child with untapped potential.

Rubina Majid with teachers of her school

In 2008, following her husband's retirement, the family returned to India. Although Hyderabad already had many schools, Rubina felt something essential was missing. The education system seemed increasingly focused on toppers and rankings, while children in the middle were often overlooked. She initially started an educational consultancy, helping schools improve teaching practices. Yet she soon realized that her real calling remained in the classroom.

In 2009, she founded Our School @ 12th Avenue in Hussaini Alam, one of Hyderabad's oldest neighborhoods. The school's name reflected her philosophy: education must belong to everyone.

"We are not here to create rank holders," Rubina often tells her teachers. "We are here to create wonderful human beings. The marks will follow." For Rubina, quality education begins with quality teachers. At Our School, recruitment is only the first step. Every teacher undergoes four-and-a-half months of intensive training, followed by six weeks of classroom observation before taking charge of students.

The training focuses not only on subject knowledge but also on child psychology, lesson planning, reading intervention, and classroom management. Teachers are taught a simple but powerful principle: if a child is struggling, the answer is not to blame the child but to rethink the teaching. "The average student is not the problem," Rubina believes. "The system must adapt to meet the child's needs." Inclusion is not a policy at Our School—it is a daily practice.

Around ten per cent of the students have special educational needs, including children with cochlear implants and those on the autism spectrum. They study alongside their peers in the same classrooms, participate in the same activities, and receive the same opportunities. There are no separate wings and no labels.

Rubina Majid conducting a workshop

The school is equally committed to social and economic inclusion. Located in the heart of the Old City, it welcomes children from all communities and backgrounds. Fees are intentionally kept affordable so that education remains accessible to families who might otherwise be excluded. "If a paan seller's child cannot afford our school, then we have failed," Rubina says. "Access must be real, not just a promise in a brochure."

Rubina's impact extends far beyond her own campus. She regularly trains teachers across Andhra Pradesh, sharing methods that can improve learning outcomes even in resource-constrained schools.

At the same time, she has created pathways for young women who were previously outside the workforce. Through specialized teacher-training programs, she equips them with professional skills and confidence, helping them build meaningful careers in education. To date, nearly 300 women have become teachers through these initiatives.

Rubina Majid in a classroom

"Train one woman," she says, "and you transform an entire family's relationship with education." A reading specialist and curriculum developer, Rubina has spent years designing learning systems that meet children where they are. If a Grade 5 student reads at a Grade 2 level, she does not see failure. She sees an opportunity.

The response is not punishment or embarrassment but a carefully designed plan involving phonics, guided reading, individual attention, and patient support. Her philosophy is simple: the brightest students will often find ways to succeed. The education system must devote equal energy to those who need a little more time, encouragement, and guidance.

Walk through the corridors of Our School @ 12th Avenue and you won't find silent classrooms focused solely on examinations. Instead, you will find purposeful activity. A child with a cochlear implant confidently explaining a science project. A teacher sitting on the floor helping students decode a difficult paragraph. Young children debating what makes a good friend and learning to listen respectfully to different opinions.

Rubina Majid with school children

These are the foundations upon which academic success is built. For Rubina, education is not merely about producing high scores; it is about nurturing empathy, confidence, curiosity, and character.

Rubina Majid's journey—from Hyderabad to Kashmir, from Aligarh to Jeddah, and back to Hussaini Alam—has been guided by one enduring belief: education should serve every child, not just the exceptional few.

She returned to India with a degree in business but a calling in education. Along the way, she became convinced that while education systems often celebrate the top performers, they frequently overlook the vast majority of students who simply need someone to believe in them. So she chose to focus on the middle.

Today, through her school, teacher-training initiatives, and community outreach programs, she continues to challenge conventional ideas of success. She is proving that inclusive and secular education does not require elite fees. That meaningful teacher training cannot be reduced to a weekend workshop. And that children from vastly different social backgrounds can learn, thrive, and belong together. Report cards will eventually fade into memory.

Rubina Majid with a student of her school

But the confidence of a child who overcomes a learning challenge will endure. The poem recited by a student with a cochlear implant will endure. The first paragraph successfully read by a struggling learner will endure.

Rubina Majid built Our School @12th Avenue for the children who are often overlooked by the system. Her work reminds us that education is not about measuring children—it is about meeting them where they are and helping them grow. Because when you teach the middle, you lift the whole classroom. When you train one woman, you open countless doors.

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And when you give an average child an extraordinary teacher, you create something far more valuable than a rank holder—you help shape a wonderful human being.

And that, perhaps, is the only ranking that truly matters.