Haryana’s government girls school recognised among top 10 schools worldwide for supporting healthy lives

CHANDIGARH: Government Girls Senior Secondary School NIT-5, Faridabad, is among the four Indian schools that were on Wednesday named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual World's Best School Prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress. Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership to the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The winners across categories will be announced in October. "This achievement is inspirational for the government schools of the state. This also proves that government schools can excel on the global platform," Haryana's Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said on Thursday. Education Minister Dhanda said the success of the Faridabad school will propel other government schools in the state towards innovation and student welfare. With this, he said, the reform initiatives like smart classrooms, STEM labs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics lab) and teachers' training by the state government will fresh impetus. The five World's Best School Prizes for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity and Supporting Healthy Lives were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of COVID-19 to give a platform to schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.

T4 Education calls itself a global platform, bringing together a community of over 2,00,000 teachers from more than 100 countries to transform education. The government school in Faridabad has been selected for transforming the lives of at-risk girls by interlinking nutritional programmes, physical well-being, and mental health support with education to break down societal barriers and ensure no girl is left behind. It is on the list of 10 finalists for the prize under the Supporting Healthy Lives category.

The winners will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy, with all 50 finalist schools across five categories also taking part in a public vote opened this week to determine the winner of the Community Choice Award. The worldwide winners across these categories will be announced in October, with all the finalists and winners invited to the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on November 15-16. The winning schools will share their best practices, unique expertise and experience with policymakers and leading figures in global education.