Obituary: Born to teach (1921-2008) The moving tribute written by Mursi Saad El-Din and published in Al-Ahram on Tuesday 5 February says it all. It was an eloquent eulogy to his wife, an exceptional woman, a person of substance and his teenage sweetheart. Her life was dedicated to education. Teaching was her raison d'être, the great love of her life. And it was a life of which she was determined to make the most. They met at university when they were both 18 and it was love at first sight. Enayat was a determined young woman and was fortunate to be born into an age when such determination was recognised as a virtue. Women were on the move and Enayat took full advantage of it. Learning is not just books and a classroom, it is about doing things together, was her motto. She had a deep understanding of the workings of the educational system at a defining moment in Egypt's history, and was the perfect person to take advantage of that moment. When the late professor Ahmed Segini Hashim offered Mursi Saad El-Din the post of secretary at the Egyptian Institute in London it was a golden opportunity and he eagerly accepted the offer. In London the life of the young couple took on an entirely different turn. It was a defining moment in both their careers. Mrs Saad El-Din was not content to be relegated the role of housewife, determined, as ever, to make her mark. When Professor Paxtone of King Fouad I University moved to the BBC headquarters in London he offered Enayat, his former student, a job at the BBC Arabic Service. She accepted, and was soon preparing and presenting a series of programmes on women. It was a job at which she excelled and the programmes won many accolades. In 1956, the couple returned to Egypt to settle for good. Egypt was in a state of flux, caught up in a tide of radical change. The country was still reeling from the Suez crisis and Enayet poised to become the first female headmistress of an English- language Egyptian school. After a stint as headmistress of Port Said School, Enayat became headmistress of Victoria School, Heliopolis, later known as the English School. There she trained generations of students. She was the most mothering of headmistresses and her students, many of whom hold leading positions in the country today, mourn her passing.
