- EMULATING BEST
The move by Jammu and Kashmir Government to adopt Kerala’s ‘Nadakkavu model’ of modernising government schools in the Union Territory is likely to bring revolution in imparting education especially in the Valley as over three decades of turmoil due to terrorism has broken important links in the education sector creating gaps which have been affecting the entire set-up. In this context, the J&K government has signed an MoU with Kozhikode-based Faizal and Shabana Foundation, which had introduced the Nadakkavu model. The Nadakkavu schools have now become flag-bearers of excellence in education in India for giving impetus on the holistic development of students. Today, more than 1,000 schools in Kerala and many more across India are emulating the ‘Nadakkavu’ model, which is sustainable and value-driven. This model has reportedly created a benchmark of excellence for education not only in India but abroad also since its inception ten years back. The model has also been introduced in a few schools in West Africa. In J&K, it will be first introduced in the Government Higher Secondary School for Girls in Kothibagh, Srinagar with an aim to establish the school as a centre of educational excellence that can serve as a blueprint for other schools throughout Jammu and Kashmir. Under the agreement, the foundation will provide funding for the project and assume responsibility for its implementation including the holistic development of the school. Besides upgrading the infrastructure, the aforementioned model of education lays stress on other interventions such as teacher training programmes, vocational training, school ambassador training, teacher and student inter-school learning and knowledge exchange programmes on a regular basis. The school from which this endeavour took off in Kerala has gained so much popularity that it is today a case study on venture philanthropy in education as well as a part of the syllabus on corporate entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. The success of the Nadakkavu School led to the Kerala government using it as a scalable model to transform 1,000 government schools in the state. The LG Manoj Sinha’s administration deserves kudos for bringing this model to the UT to ensure that schools in J&K catch up to the global standards of imparting education thus creating meaningful citizens out of common masses.