Historical Background: At a time when the condition of education of Muslims in the walled city of Delhi was miserable, and the education of girls did not get the approval of their parents, it was the dream of Late Abdul Hameed Sahab to bring the girls into mainstream education. It was his deep desire to give to the society an educational institution that was futuristic in form and content , and that would preserve the cultural heritage and integrate traditional wisdom with emerging global trends. His mission got support from Mirza Mehmood Beg and Qazi Irshad Sahab. Hakeem sahib founded Rabea Girls’ Public School in 1973 in memory of his great visionary mother Mohtarma Rabea Begum who had played a vital role in the establishment and development of the school.

In 1973, the school began in two rooms of a building in Ballimaran, which was being used as Tibbya College and also as a boys’ hostel. Just three children got enrolled in the beginning. Hakim sahib requested the first Vice Principal, Mrs. Zulaikha Afaq to visit homes in old Delhi and request parents to send their daughters to school. As the number of students grew and there was paucity of space, the Pre Primary classes started being run in the evening shift. Then in 1996, a new building was hired closeby, to run these classes. A nominal fee was charged from the children and if two sisters came from one family, fee was charged for only one child. Later, a school uniform was implemented. As the number of students increased with the passage of time, it became pertinent to house the school in another building and then the middle and senior sections of the school were shifted to a third building in Katra Dina Beg in 2005.The school got its affiliation from CBSE during the session 1986-’87 and was upgraded to senior secondary school during the session 1991-’92. All three subject streams-Science, Commerce and Humanities were offered at senior secondary level.

Present Status: Today there are 2251 girls studying in the school and there is a staff of 103 qualified teachers apart from the support staff. The school has smart classes, 9 well equipped laboratories, two well stacked libraries, two medical rooms, staff rooms, facility for indoor games, a Quran room, a book club , activity rooms for small children and two halls which are used for assembly and school functions. Fire safety equipment has been installed in all three buildings of the school.

Apart from modern education , Quran and its translation is also taught in the school. The three language formula includes teaching of English, Hindi and Urdu. With the sustained efforts of the Hamdard Education Society, under whose aegis the school is run, and the school management, a marked change is observed in the outlook of parents towards the education of girls. The school has been producing 100% board results ever since , and a good number of students have been securing above 90% marks and distinctions in all subjects in the Board Exams. Today, girls from Rabea are able to pursue higher education after school. They have carved a niche for themselves in the best of colleges and institutes in Delhi and opt for different careers in various fields. The dream of Late Hakeem sahib is seen to materialize, and a sea change is being felt in the outlook and attitude of people towards education of girls in the old city of Delhi.

The contribution of Rabea Girls’ Public School towards upliftment of the society , especially the Muslim Community is immense. Today its students are found to be holding posts of responsibility in various fields and making a positive contribution towards society.