KOZHIKODE: Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls (GVHSS), Nadakkavu, that witnessed a massive transformation under the PRISM (Promoting Regional Schools to International Standards through Multiple Interventions) project of the state government and Faizal and Shabana Foundation, will soon gain recognition on global platforms.

The redevelopment of 120-year-old school has now been taken as a case study on ‘Venture Philanthropy in Education’ by Dr Sreevas Sahasranamam, a Chancellor’s Fellow at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. Venture Philanthropy refers to an adventurous approach to fund unpopular social causes. The case study titled ‘Faizal & Shabana Foundation: A Venture Philanthropic Approach to Education’ will also be taught in some of the classes on corporate entrepreneurship at the university.

The study covers the refurbishment of school through philanthropic investments made by the Faizal and Shabana Foundation and the execution of the project amidst challenges. The Faizal and Shabana Foundation in collaboration with the state government had developed the PRISM project to improve the standards of government schools. GVHSS Nadakkavu was the flagship school renovated as part of this programme.

The holistic makeover included an infrastructural transformation with new classrooms, toilets, multipurpose hall and astro-turf covered sports field, among other improvements.

Faizal Kottikollon is the Founder and Chairman of KEF Holdings, a diversified company with operations in the Middle East, India, and Singapore.   Faizal is also a member of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prestigious panel of Champions of Change for Infrastructure. A humanitarian at heart he is the Co-founder and Director of the Faizal and Shabana Foundation that is giving back by creating sustainable initiatives to build a more equitable society. 

Shabana Faizal is Vice Chairperson of KEF Holdings and Co Founder and Vice Chairperson of  Faizal and Shabana Foundation. She is the daughter of B.Ahmed Haji Mohiudeen, a well known entrepreneur  in Mangaluru. 

With inputs from: The New Indian Express

Faisal and Shabana

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Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.

The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.

With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.

Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".

On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.

"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.

The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.

A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.

On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.

TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents

In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.

On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.

Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.

The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.

BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".

"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.