KOZHIKODE: Jammu and Kashmir is all set to adopt Kerala’s ‘Nadakkavu model’ of government school modernisation. The Nadakkavu model was introduced through PRISM (Promoting Regional Schools to International Standards through Multiple interventions) under the banner of Kozhikode-based Faizal and Shabana Foundation.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the foundation in this regard. 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 the Union Territory.
Under the agreement, the foundation will provide funding for the project and assume responsibility for its implementation which includes the holistic development of the school. Faizal Kottikollon, chairman of the foundation, has said that the model will transform education in public schools across Jammu and Kashmir.
“Creating a robust educational system in the country is our aim. 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 their full potential,” said Faizal.
The foundation will also collaborate with esteemed Indian and international institutions to conduct training for the school’s teachers and students, said global head of the foundation, Dr Joseph Sebastian. Dr Tassaduq Hussain Mir, director of school education, Jammu and Kashmir, said once the model is established, the government will replicate it across the state.
With the aim of improving the quality of education in ordinary schools through multiple interventions, the PRISM project developed 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 sum of Rs. 20 crore.
Over 1,200 government schools, mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, adopted the Nadakkavu model within 10 years of its inception. It has also been introduced in a few schools in West Africa.