The National Education Policy 2020 envisages an inclusive and structural change in the educational system. It focuses on ‘Equitable and Inclusive Education’ which reverberates the idea that no child should be left behind in terms of educational opportunity because of their background and socio-cultural identities. It has taken into account the concerns of the Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) which includes female and transgender individuals, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, minorities, and other categories. This policy aims at bridging the social category gaps in access, participation, and learning outcomes in school education.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is implementing the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) as part of the National Population Education Project (NPEP). One of the learning outcomes of AEP is to make the learners aware of the concerns of adolescence, i.e. process of growing up during adolescence & HIV/AIDS, and to inculcate in them a positive attitude regarding these concerns.

Further, the aspects related to gender-inclusive holistic education are covered through age-appropriate integration in different textual materials in the school curriculum, as well as in training and resource materials on the Health and Wellness of School Going Children, especially under the aegis of the School Health Programme under Ayushman Bharat.

As per UDISE+ 2019-20, a total of 61214 transgender children are enrolled in schools, of which 5813 and 4798 transgender children are enrolled in Class 10 and Class 12 respectively.

Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing Samagra Shiksha which is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education. Samagra Shiksha reaches out to girls, and children belonging to SC, ST, Minority communities, and transgender.

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Further, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also identifies transgender children as Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) and provides for equitable quality education, inter-alia, for all such students. This includes provisions for assisting transgender children in gaining access to education, and support for community-based interventions that address local context-specific barriers to transgender children’s access to and participation in education, thereby aiming to eliminate any remaining disparity in access to education (including vocational education) for children from any gender or other SEDGs.

Additionally, under NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement), a nationwide integrated teacher training program for teachers under Samagra Shiksha, teachers are trained on the relevance of Gender Dimensions in the Teaching and Learning Process which helps teachers to use and adapt learning activities that foster gender sensitive classroom environment.

The Ultimate Sports Quiz is for school teams across India with nine preliminary rounds and three semifinal rounds. The form of this quiz is inspired by the Olympic motto of ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’. Therefore, the quiz is designed to test the depth and breadth of the participants’ knowledge, as well as the speed with which they recall the information. Tailormade for the Gen Z audience, snippets of the show being aired on Sony Sports Network, and other digital OTT platforms have made for engaging social media content.

Twenty-seven schools from 22 cities across the country competed for the Ultimate Sports Quiz 2022 Champions Trophy. Students from prestigious schools like Sunbeam School, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Birla High School, Ira International School St. Xavier’s School, and many more, shared the platform. The USQ 2022 hosted its semifinals on July 9, July 10, and the last today, July 17.

Giving tough competition to the top schools of India, students from Sunbeam School Lahartara, Varanasi were declared the champions of The Ultimate Sports Quiz. Shashwat and Ayushman beamed with joy getting papped with cricketer and host, Harsha Bhogle.

The other winning teams were the students from Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, and Neerja Modi School, Jaipur. The three winning teams received cash prizes of ₹35 lakhs, ₹20 lakhs, and ₹10 lakhs to be utilized towards sports infrastructure development in the schools. The National Finalists also win an all-expenses-paid trip to a sporting event of their choice anywhere in the world. The participants get a chance to claim Apple MacBooks & other prizes, besides medals and certificates, not to mention bragging rights within the student community.

ScooNews congratulates the winners and celebrates their achievement!

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Daly College, Indore on Friday announced the appointment of Dr. Gunmeet Bindra as the first female principal in the history of the 150-year-old school.  The tenure of the new principal will be five years.

Daly College, Indore was founded by Sir Henry Daly in 1870 and is affiliated with CBSE and CAIE (UK). Spread over a sprawling 118 acre beautifully landscaped green campus, Daly College is renowned for its sports infrastructure and co-curricular education.

Dr. Bindra is an accomplished educationist with over 35 years of experience in teaching and school administration, she has held many coveted positions including member of the CBSE Governing Body, CBSE Curriculum Committee, CBSE Affiliation Committee, and member of the Board of Trustees and Vice President, Asia Pacific Region of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. She is also the British Council School Ambassador in India.

Dr. (Ms.) Gunmeet Bindra is an alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics and Calcutta University. She was Director Principal, Delhi Public School, Rajpura prior to joining Daly College, Indore. She also served as the first female Principal of Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun. She started her career as a senior commerce teacher at Sheiling House, Kanpur (1987-92).

The numerous awards conferred upon Dr. Bindra include the CBSE National Award in 2014 presented by the President of India, the Bharat Vidya Vibhushan Puraskar presented by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, the Pride of Doon Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Education Excellence Award, the Uttarakhand Ratan Award and the National Award for Instructional Leadership in the Principals’ category of the awards at the NDTV-Educomp Education Awards 2016.

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Here's Team ScooNews wishing her all the best for her new assignment!

The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet (HPS, Begumpet) recently announced Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat (former Principal of The Scindia School) as its new Principal.

Established as Jagirdar’s College by the Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad – H.E.H. Mir Osman Ali Khan – in 1923, in Begumpet, Hyderabad; it was renamed the Hyderabad Public School in 1951 following the abolition of the zamindari system. It stands strong in the heart of Hyderabad, sprawling over a lush green campus of 122 acres.

HPS Begumpet has illustrious alumni like Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft), Shantanu Narayen (CEO of Adobe Inc.), the Owaisi brothers, Ajay Banga (President of Master Card), Syed Akbaruddin (former permanent representative of India at the UN), cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and ghazal maestro Talat Aziz.

Dr. Saraswat is a post-graduate in English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. Subsequently, he also earned a Doctorate in Hindi Literature.

Dr. Saraswat believes in establishing and promoting a culture of excellence and meritocracy in every sphere of school activity. His educational philosophy is simple and can be summarised in two lines. He believes that Education is about providing the correct references and appropriate stimulants to the students for their inherent goodness to express itself on its own.

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He believes that 'Experiential Education' for the youth is the need of the hour and promotes the ideology of 'Leadership through Service' in students.

After a rewarding career in the Doon School where he served for 16 years, he was the founder Principal of two schools. Thereafter, he took on the mantle of the C.E.O of the ‘Sapkal Knowledge Hub’ in Nasik. Prior to joining Hyderabad Public School – Begumpet, Dr. Saraswat served as the Principal at Scindia School, Gwalior starting April 2015.

He joined it at a time when the school needed a firm hand. With his inimitable grit and unflinching determination, he raised the Scindia School to its pinnacle.  He expected nothing less than perfection from the students and faculties because he wanted the school to be “top-notch”. Those who have known him closely believe that he has been an exemplary mentor, a role model, and had raised the bar for all, transforming the Scindia Community and never allowing even the slightest amount of complacency to seep in.

The pictures and videos of the very emotional farewell by the students and the teachers of Scindia School are already doing rounds on social media.

Here's Team ScooNews wishing him all the best for his new assignment!

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Dr. Jagpreet Singh, Headmaster, The Doon School took over as the chairperson of the prestigious Indian Public Schools' Conference (IPSC) from Ms. Nishi Misra, Principal, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior. The IPSC general body elects the Chairperson, Honorary Secretary and the Joint Secretary cum Treasurer of the IPSC every two years from among the member heads of schools. IPSC is a consortium of 80 elite Residential Public Schools across India, which was established in the year 1939. 

Delhi Public School Mathura Road New Delhi, Delhi Public School R.K.Puram New Delhi, Mayo College Ajmer, Mayo College Girls Ajmer, Modern School Barakhamba Road New Delhi, Pinegrove School Dharampur Himachal Pradesh, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya Gwalior, The Daly College Indore, The Doon School Dehradun, The Punjab Public School Nabha, The Mann School Delhi, The Rajkumar College Rajkot, Welham Boys’ School Dehradun, Welham Girls’ School Dehradun, and Yadavindra Public School Patiala are the some of the member schools of this all India organisation.

Dr. Jagpreet Singh is an eminent Educationist of India.

He studied in Ajmer, Rajasthan. His family runs a chain of hotels in Ajmer and Pushkar, since childhood he wanted to teach and contribute to a child's growth and development. He believes that a teacher is the most powerful influence on a child therefore he started his journey at Mayo College Ajmer, where he served for 24 years as a history teacher, cricket and squash coach, housemaster, and finally Vice-Principal of Mayo College.

During his tenure at Mayo College, he was a part of the Teacher Exchange Program with distinguished institutions like Eton College, UK, and  Kings School, Australia

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Thereafter he moved to The Punjab Public School Nabha as a Headmaster for nearly 10 years and brought laurels to the school nationally.

He was the Honorary Secretary and Sports Director of IPSC schools, prior to the current engagement.

With his vast experience and knowledge in the education sector, he is now the Headmaster of the prestigious The Doon School, Dehradun.

Language learning to be promoted as a skill with the formal credit-earning system said Union Education and Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan during the launch of Bhasha Sangam Initiative for schools, Bhasha Sangam Mobile App and Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Quiz App, to commemorate Rashtriya Ekta Diwas which is celebrated on October 31 every year to mark the birth anniversary of Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Shri Pradhan stated that the National Education Policy 2020 outlines the vision to lay emphasis on the promotion of Indian languages. Going forward, language learning will be promoted as a skill with a formal credit-earning system, he added. The Minister said that the country is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75 years of India’s independence. The initiatives launched today will facilitate our students to embrace the linguistic diversity of our nation and sensitize them about the richness of our culture, heritage, and diversity, he added.

Bhasha Sangam is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, to teach basic sentences of everyday usage in 22 Indian languages. The idea is that people should acquire basic conversational skills in an Indian language other than their mother tongue. We are aiming that at least 75 lakh people should acquire this skill during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav period.

Launched the Bhasha Sangam program, an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, to teach basic sentences of everyday usage in 22 Indian languages. pic.twitter.com/gJTxITO3BK

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) November 1, 2021

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Initiatives launched under Bhasha Sangam:

1. An initiative for school children that is being made available on DIKSHA, ePathshala, and through 22 booklets
2. Bhasha Sangam Mobile App developed in collaboration with myGov, by a start-up called Multibhashi
3. A Mobile App based quiz with over 10,000 questions on states of India developed by Nazara  Technologies through the Innovation Cell of this Ministry

Bhasha Sangam Initiative for schools

• Developed by NCERT
• 100 sentences in 22 scheduled languages are presented in such a way that children in school will be able to read in the Indian language, in Devanagari script, in roman script and translations into Hindi and English.
• 100 sentences are presented in audio and video form with Indian Sign Language.
• Through this programme of Bhasha Sangam learners in school will be able to get acquainted with all the languages-their scripts, pronunciation
• Available on DIKSHA, ePathshala, and 22 booklets

Bhasha Sangam Mobile App

• This is an initiative of DoHE, in collaboration with MyGov
• The App has been developed by a start-up Multibhashi, selected by myGov through a competition
• The App initially has 100 sentences of everyday usage in 22 Indian languages. These sentences are available in both Roman script and in the script of the given language, and also in audio format. More sentences will be added to the list
• A learner will pass through stages on the basis of testing. There is also detailed testing in the end with the generation of digital certificate
• Available in both Android and iOS

EBSB Quiz App

• EBSB Quiz game is targeted toward children and youngsters of Bharat for helping them learn more about our different regions, states, culture, national Heroes, monuments, traditions, tourist locations, languages, geography, history, topography,
• We already have more than 10,000 questions as part of this quiz. The gameplay is simple – Play Quizzes, Learn & Achieve Grades. Moreover, this quiz has 15 different levels of toughness.
• Currently, the EBSB quiz is available on android OS, the iOS version will be made available soon.
• This game is currently available in English and Hindi. In the next 3 months, the EBSB quiz will be also available in 12 other different regional languages.

Shri R. R Singh, MoS for Education; Smt Anita Karwal, Secretary DoSEL; Shri Sanjay Murthy, Secretary Higher Education; Shri Abhishek Singh, CEO, MyGov; students and teachers of schools & universities attended the event.

Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) observed its 1st Annual Convocation Ceremony on October 27th, 2021 at the HIAL campus, Phyang.

The Chief Guest for the occasion was Vandana Shiva, a scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist, and anti-globalisation author. Prof. S K Mehta, VC Ladakh University also graced the function with his presence as the Guest of Honour. Also in attendance were other dignitaries from the academic world, industries, and the government apart from Gitanjali J B, Founding CEO & Dean, Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL), and Sonam Wangchuk, Founding Director, Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL).

HIAL convocated 10 HILLs Fellowship students, 11 HIAL Experiential Leadership Module (HELM) students, 15 Eco Responsive Building students, 10 Responsible Tourism students, 6 Organic Food Processing Students, 4 Ecology & Ice Stupa students & 9 Solar Builders course students in its 1st Annual Convocation.

HIAL Experiential Leadership Module (HELM) is a three months course at HIAL, with an intensive introduction and deep dive into how to effectively lead and create impact in a community. Ladakh, being a high-altitude mountain region, challenges are not new to the land. But, after its declaration as Union Territory, it opened new opportunities and challenges to the people of the region.

The Eco Responsive Building course is a flagship course of HIAL that trains students in earth construction and passive solar technology. It is a smart solution that uses indigenous building practices and materials fused with modern techniques to make housing comfortable and most importantly sustainable in this cold desert.

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Overall the course has produced 24 learners – 15 in ERB and 9 in the Solar Builders course. We dream of a future where all houses in Ladakh and similar contexts will be 100% sustainable. HIAL’s Responsible Tourism course enables young entrepreneurs to make the switch towards sustainable practices primarily through live projects like trek itineraries, farm stay development, culinary and hospitality development and simultaneously building the business model.

The Organic Food Processing course created a platform for learners to innovate their food products. The cohort developed some of the very unique recipes ranging from Buckwheat pancake to Seabuckthorn infused chocolate. In addition to creating recipes, making it a commercial success is equally important. Learners were exposed to business development through real projects such as HIAL’s Blue Yak enterprise development or launching their own product in the market.

Applied Ecology: Sonam Wangchuk built the first prototype of ice stupa in 2013, with a vision of conserving water and ecological restoration. Other similar projects like Ice wall by Aba Norphel have been leading contributors to this dream.

Last year, HIAL started offering a short course in this domain through the Applied Ecology course. The first 7 learners worked on diverse projects from vacuum tube experiment that reduces ice stupa piper freezing to Ice stupa manual for mass communication. In addition, all contributed to building Ice stupas across Ladakh. This course was designed to give an overall ecological perspective of the world we live in, climate crisis, and its impacts on the world, Himalaya and Ladakh.

Established in 2018, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) has the unique distinction of being the first institution located in the Himalayan region, working towards mountain development. In a short span of 3 years, the Institute has grown to prominence at national and international levels through the achievements and innovations in the field of passive solar heated buildings as well as ecology and ice stupa projects.

HIAL aims to reform the model of higher education by developing responsible citizens as well as encouraging the direct application of knowledge to solve community challenges. Empowering the innovators and entrepreneurs, who will tackle these challenges and be the architects of the future for the Himalayan region.

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HIAL also established its 'Incubation Center' for innovation and entrepreneurship maintenance and supervision. The objective is to promote entrepreneurship using institutions that serve as focus centers among locals. It is a forum to foster, promote and develop innovation and business skills amongst students, scientists, graduates, and students in the region.

Enterprise is on the brink of rapid expansion in India. Investors, corporate ventures, media, startup groups, service providers, mentors, and educational enterprises will grow. And the incubator – where start-ups are born – is an essential trailer in the wheel. Likewise, a start-up is nurtured in an incubator that offers it the opportunity, before it reaches the world, to shape its company.

HIAL Alumni Community (HAC) was founded on Convocation day. Creating an engaged, supportive alumni network is crucial to an institution’s success. A dedicated alumni network enables the institution to gain by lending their assistance to the students, the institution, and each other, from our graduates' knowledge and expertise. HAC plans to create a community network dedicated to keeping the alumni well informed, as our graduates are our most dedicated supporters, our finest ambassadors, and their personal and professional networks are essential for marketing and promotion of the brand HIAL.

Jaipur, India – 07 September 2021:

ScooNews, India’s largest education media platform, is pleased to announce the addition of Mr. Jason Newman to its Board of Advisors. The board provides leadership for reviewing the firm’s business strategy and promoting its vision, globally.

Jason Newman is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at QS Quacquarelli Symonds. He has an experience of over 20 years of leading multinational sales and marketing teams in Higher Education around the world with a deep understanding of the global performance metrics and their impact on the international higher education sector. He has worked closely across a portfolio of student recruitment and University performance space. 
 
ScooNews Chief Executive Officer, Ravi Santlani, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Jason Newman to our board of advisors. He brings extensive experience and understanding of international higher education, which will be of great benefit to us as we move forward with a vision of being the largest platform for curated scholarships for Indian students, willing to pursue their higher education internationally.” 

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“I am thrilled to join the ScooNews advisory board. I have been heavily involved in the QS operations in India for many years and have a passion for Indian High Education and the broader education system that feeds the HE sector. I am pleased to support ScooNews as a member of the advisory board to help develop pathways for Indian students onto International Higher Education. My personal passion for India and its culture is strong and I look forward to enjoying more visits when borders open again,” said Jason during an interaction with ScooNews.

Jason Newman is a valuable addition to an already eminent group of thought leaders and experts in the field of education, social entrepreneurship, and business who serve on the advisory board of ScooNews. 

The complete list of our esteemed advisory board is shared below:

• Anand Kumar, Founder, Super 30
• Dr. Jagpreet Singh, Headmaster, The Doon School, Dehradun
• Dr. Neeta Bali, Director- Principal, GD Goenka World School, Gurugram
• Dr. Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education Network, Early Childhood Association India & Association for Primary Education and Research
• Geeta Dharmarajan, Founder & President, Katha
• Lt Gen Surendra H Kulkarni, Director, Mayo College, Ajmer
• Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Trustee, Vidyadan Trust & Maharana of Mewar Foundation
• Meenakshi Uberoi, Education Evangelist, Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer, and Founder, De Pedagogics
• Nishi Misra, Principal, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior and Chairperson, IPSC
• Prajakt Raut, Author, Entrepreneur & Co-founder, Applyifi & The Growth Labs
• Jason Newman, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), QS Quacquarelli Symonds

Montessori Group, a longstanding provider of quality Montessori education offering training, partnerships, quality assurance, social impact, and support for families and practitioners, has appointed Professor Sugata Mitra to the Board of Trustees for a term of three years from September 2021. 

Sugata Mitra is Emeritus Professor at NIIT University in Rajasthan, India, and was previously the Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University. At Montessori Group, he joins a diverse Board of Trustees chaired by author, inspirational speaker, and CEO of Nosh Detox, Geeta Sidhu- Robb.  
 
Professor Mitra brings a wealth of experience in conducting and guiding research in children’s education to the board. He is best known for his Hole in the Wall experiment, where a computer was embedded in a wall in an Indian slum, and children were allowed to freely use it. The experiment aimed at proving that children would learn to use computers and the internet without any formal training. Professor Mitra termed this Minimally Invasive Education.  
 
He has a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics and is credited with more than 25 inventions in the area of cognitive science and educational technology.  
 
Montessori Group Chief Executive Officer, Leonor Stjepic, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Sugata Mitra to the Board of Trustees. He brings extensive experience and understanding of children’s education, which will be of great benefit to us in terms of research, which is a key part of our strategy going forward.” 
 
Professor Mitra said: “I am delighted to be joining the Board of Trustees. My research often reflected Maria Montessori’s findings, so this appointment seems fitting. During my term as Trustee, we plan to conduct some high-quality research on children’s education that has visible impact.” 
 
This appointment is one of a number of appointments that include The Duchess of York Sara Ferguson, being asked to be Chair of the new International Montessori Ambassadors group that will help the organisation reach more children. 

My dear countrymen,

Our education, education system, education tradition have a great role in preparing the youth, who are possessed with skill and ability, and who have the spirit to do something for the country.  Today the country also has a new National Education Policy to meet the needs of the 21st century. Now our children will neither stop due to lack of skills nor will they be bound by language barriers. Unfortunately, there is a massive divide in our country regarding language. We have tied a huge talent of the country to the cage of language.  One can find promising people in their mother tongue. If people from the vernacular medium come forward, their self-confidence will grow. Justice will be done to the potential of the poor children when they will become professionals by studying in their mother tongue.

I believe that language is the instrument of the fight against poverty in the new National Education Policy.  This new National Education Policy is also going to be a great tool to fight against poverty in a way. The basis of winning the war against poverty is also the education, prestige, and importance of the vernacular language.  The country has seen this in the playground… and we are experiencing that language has not become a barrier and as a result, we have seen that the youth are playing and blossoming. Now the same thing will happen in other fields of life as well.

Another special feature of the new National Education Policy is that sports have been made a part of mainstream education instead of extra-curricular. Sports is also one of the most effective means of pursuing life. It is very important to have sports in life for perfection in life. There was a time when sports were not considered mainstream. Parents also considered indulging in sports as a wastage of life. Now, there is a new awareness about fitness and sports. We have seen and felt this in the Olympics. This change is a big turning point for us. That is why, we need to speed up and expand the campaign that is going on in the country for infusing talent, technology, and professionalism in sports.

It is a matter of pride for the country that our daughters are performing in an unprecedented manner in the fields of education, sports, Boards' results, or Olympics. Today daughters are raring to occupy their place. We must ensure that women have equal partnership in every career and workspace. We must ensure that they feel safe from roads to the workplace and everywhere. There should be a feeling of respect for them and in this, the government, administration, police, and justice system will have to perform their duty cent percent. We must make this resolution, the resolution of the 75 years of Independence.

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Today I am sharing the good news with the countrymen. I used to get lakhs of messages from our daughters that they want to study in the Sainik Schools. The Doors of the schools should be opened for them. We did a pilot project in the Sainik School of Mizoram two and a half years ago by giving admission to our daughters. Now the Government has decided that all the Sainik Schools will be open for the girls. Daughters too will study in all the Sainik Schools of the Country.

In the 21st century, no obstacle can stop us from fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of India. Our strength is our vitality, our strength is our solidarity, our vitality is the spirit of the Nation First – Always First. This is the time for shared dreams, this is the time for shared resolve, this is the time for shared efforts… and this is the time to move towards victory.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India