Our Namesake · Patron Saint-Poet of Kashmir
Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, revered as Nund Rishi and Sheikh-ul-Alam — the Teacher of the World — is the spiritual and cultural heart of Kashmir. His life of learning, compassion, and selfless service is the foundation on which this college stands.
How one soul's devotion gave a whole valley its moral vocabulary.
Across the valleys and mountains of Kashmir, few names carry the weight of centuries the way Sheikh-ul-Alamdoes. Born into a land of extraordinary beauty and complex history, Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani — affectionately called Nund Rishi by the Kashmiri-speaking world — lived a life that became a moral and spiritual compass for his people. He is the founding figure of the Rishi order in Kashmir, a tradition rooted in renunciation, scholarship, and service to every human being regardless of faith, caste, or circumstance.
The title Sheikh-ul-Alam — Teacher of the World — was not merely honorific; it was an acknowledgment that his wisdom transcended the boundaries of tribe and sect. He spoke in the language of the common person, through poetry that illuminated the deepest questions of existence with the simplest images from everyday Kashmiri life. His shrukhs (lyric verses) remain part of living oral tradition, passed from grandparent to grandchild across generations, carrying teachings that are as relevant in the classroom as they are in the home.
The values Sheikh-ul-Alam embodied — and that this college strives to cultivate.
Sheikh-ul-Alam held that the pursuit of knowledge is an act of devotion. True learning, in his vision, is never merely academic — it awakens the conscience and cultivates the capacity to serve. Every student who passes through our doors is invited into that same pursuit.
The Sheikh is remembered not as a figure of pomp but as one who sat with the poor, spoke plainly, and served without condition. We aspire to train teachers who carry that same humility into every classroom — who remember that the greatest teachers remain perpetual learners.
His entire life was an act of service — to the community, to the land, to the marginalised. For a teacher-education college, this pillar is foundational: every B.Ed graduate we send into schools carries a responsibility of service to the next generation of young Kashmiris.
Sheikh-ul-Alam's message transcended division. He addressed all humanity — regardless of creed, station, or origin. Our college reflects this spirit in its open-door approach to every aspiring student, regardless of background, who sincerely wishes to become a teacher.
A name is a commitment — not just an identity.
Naming a college is not a passive act. When the founders of this institution chose to name it Sheikh-ul-Alam College of Education, they were making a declaration: that the values of knowledge, humility, service, and inclusion would be the daily operating principles of this place — not merely its decorative motto.
In North Kashmir, where access to quality teacher education has not always been easy, this college was founded to provide that access — rooted in the very soil of Drugmulla, Kupwara. Every student who walks through our doors does so in the spirit of a tradition that believes education is among the highest forms of service a human being can render to their community.
We do not claim to have fully lived up to so great a legacy. We claim only to be pointed in its direction — and to invite every student, every faculty member, and every stakeholder to join us in that aspiration.
"A teacher who knows their subject but not their student has half the knowledge they need. A teacher who knows their student but not their own heart has less than half."
Begin Your Own Journey
The B.Ed programme at Sheikh-ul-Alam College of Education will prepare you to serve with knowledge, humility, and purpose.
