Thiruvananthapuram: The Government of Jammu & Kashmir is set to adopt Kerala’s ‘Nadakkavu’ model of modernising Government schools in the state.
The Nadakkavu model was introduced by the Kozhikode-based Faizal and Shabana Foundation which signed a MoU with the J & K Government in this regard.
The Foundation was established in the UAE in 2007 by the UAE-based Keralite industrialist couple Faizal E Kottikollon and his wife Shabana Faizal.
It will be first introduced in the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls in Kothibagh, Srinagar. The objective is to establish the school as a centre of educational excellence that can serve as a blueprint for other schools throughout Jammu & Kashmir.
Under the agreement the Foundation will provide funding for the project and assume responsibility for its implementation. This includes the holistic development of the school.
Faizal Kottikollon, chairman of the Foundation, has assured that this would be a model for the transformation of Education in Public Schools across J&K. This is an attempt from the foundation to create a robust educational system in the country.
The goal is to bring about excellence at all levels, providing equitable education especially for those from the bottom of the pyramid so that each child can come up to the potential they are capable of.
The Foundation will also collaborate with esteemed Indian and international institutions to conduct training programmes for the school’s teaching staff and students, Global head of the Foundation, Dr Joseph Sebastian said.
Dr. Tassaduq Hussain Mir, Director of School Education, J&K, said that once this model is established, it is the endeavour of the Government to replicate this across Jammu & Kashmir.
“We are confident that this collaboration between the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Faizal and Shabana Foundation will create a brighter future for the students of Kashmir and contribute to the development of a robust educational system,” Dr. Mir said.
Faizal E Kottikollon is the founder and Chairman of KEF Holdings and his wife Shabana Faizal is the Vice Chairperson. They set up the foundation with their strong belief in their social responsibility towards the uplift of those in need.
With the aim of promoting ordinary schools to international standards through multiple interventions, the couple modernised the infrastructure and uplifted the educational standard of the 130-year old Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu, Kozhikode in 2013, spending a whopping sum of Rs. 20 crore.
The foundation has also taken initiative in building leadership qualities among teachers and skill development among students, community enhancement and linking students to Centres of Academic Excellence.
Over 1200 government schools mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have adopted the Nadakkavu model within 10 years since its inception. The model has also been introduced in a few schools in West Africa.
UNI
