Indian school run by UAE residents wins global recognition

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Indian diplomat Deepak Vohra presents the recognition for Green Valley National School to Mohammed Meeran during the International School Awards at Amity University in Dubai. Akshay Ahuja, Dr Attaullah Wahidiyar, senior advisor to the education minister of Afghanisthan, andRajesh Batra were also present.- Photo by Shihab
Indian diplomat Deepak Vohra presents the recognition for Green Valley National School to Mohammed Meeran during the International School Awards at Amity University in Dubai. Akshay Ahuja, Dr Attaullah Wahidiyar, senior advisor to the education minister of Afghanisthan, andRajesh Batra were also present.- Photo by Shihab

Dubai - Awarded the title Upcoming Institute of the Year at the International School Awards.

By Saman Haziq

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Published: Tue 17 Dec 2019, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 10 Jan 2023, 3:02 PM

In 2001, five expatriates from the UAE founded a small charitable school in their home town in India with the sole intention to give back to the community. The mission was to provide quality education to children living in the rural areas surrounding their hometown Shiroor, Udupi district, in Karnataka.

Under the leading role of our late Managing trustee Mr Syed Abdul Kader Bashu with constant support from the other trustees, the school took a big transformation from humble beginnings with just 100 enrolled students, into a school of global standards, whilst earning a name in the field of education not only in India but also abroad.


Located at the foothills of the Western ghats, on the National Highway No 66 in Shiroor, far from the hubbub of cities and towns, Green Valley National School (GVNS) now has around 1,400 students from all communities, religions and areas - both boys and girls.

On Monday in Dubai, GVNS was recognised for its contribution to the education sector and awarded the title of 'Upcoming Institute of the Year' at the fourth edition of the International School Awards 2019 held at Amity University, Dubai.


ISA, is one of the biggest education conference and award shows, recognizing the world's premier schools and primary educational institutions for their efforts.

Dubai expat Mohammed Meeran, one of the trustees, while receiving the award on behalf of the school, said: "By the grace of God, the school has made tremendous progress in 20 years and a lot of hard work and sacrifice has gone into it. He further said that aside himself, there are four other members on the board of trustees of the school, however the first credit of this accolade to GVNS goes to the beloved Late Managing Trustee Mr Abdul Kader Bashu Saheb as well as the Principal, Coordinator, members of the faculty, administrative staff and the beloved students who contributed to make this possible.

Talking about the salient features of the school that follows the ICSE curriculum, he said: "It is a secular and forward-thinking school. We have students of all religions and our principal, Dr. John Mathew, is a highly-qualified academician who has doctorates in different subjects. He is a dynamic individual, and well proficient in modern trends in education, and widely travelled with a proven track record of successfully managing and guiding academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in leading schools in India and abroad."

GVNS became the first school in Karnataka to send its students to the NASA John F Kennedy Space Centre a few years ago to participate in a 'Space Camp for International Students'.

TWO DECADES OF HARD WORK: Mohammed Meeran and Abdul Haseeb Yahya Kazi with the school's award during the event.- Photo by Shihab

Also, it is one among the 500 schools chosen by the planning commission of India from across the country to provide hi-tech programs for children. It was also recognized as one of the best schools in India by a primetime TV show conducted last year. In addition to these credits, the school has made several achievements in many fields. The present Executive board under the guidance of the President Dr Syed Hassan Saheb, Secretary and Deputy Managing Trustee Syed Ibrahim Saheb and senior Vice President and treasurer Mohamed Yahya Kazi - hope to make the school a model for the entire country. "We feel proud that several of our former students have been immensely successful in their careers and hold important, decision-making positions in multinational companies," he added.

The President, Dr Syed Hassan, envisions GVNS as a place where there is always a strive to stay on the cutting edge of new and sound education programs offering a broad spectrum of innovative, challenging opportunities that broaden the horizons of the students.

ISA received about 8,422 nominations from more than 40 countries for the awards this year. The event was themed around 21st-century classrooms and skills to be incorporated among the students to stay aligned with the real world. A number of panel discussions, debates, brainstorming sessions were held throughout the day-long event that concluded with the awards ceremony for schools. Representatives from schools in over 50 countries attended the event.

saman@khaleejtimes.com


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