The Devotion of Life — Page 157
157 The heartfelt wish of Khalifatul Masih I ra was fulfilled in 1909 when the foundation was laid for this Seminary and it was named ‘Madrasssah Ahmadiyya’. The first Headmaster was Hadrat Maulvi Sarwar Shah Sahib ra and Maulvi Sadardin Sahib ra was appointed Superintendent. The entire administration of the Madrassah was entrusted to Hadrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad ra who paid special attention to the training and education of the students and reserved the Fourth Year Class for himself and devoted three to four hours everyday for their training. The admission standard to the Madrassah was the prevalent Primary Examination. Those who had not passed the Primary Examination had to sit an entrance exam. The minimum age was eleven years and the minimum syllabus was of seven years duration, with two levels. The lower level was five years and the higher level was two years. Those students who were not considered competent for the higher level were sent as Missionaries and some of them went to qualify for Maulvi Fazal degree. It was necessary for those who were to go out as Missionaries to complete one year in the hospital, learning Medicine and Surgery. Those students who were to be prepared for Maulvi Fazal Examination in one year, had to gain proficiency in the prescribed books for Maulvi Fazal , which were not included in the syllabus for the Seventh year of the Madrassah. (The Review of Religions [Urdu] March 1909, pp. 133-135) The Sixth Class of the Madrassah started in 1912 and in 1913 the Seventh Year Class also opened, thus completing the Classes in the Madrassah.