When a run-down government school became top class

A recent University of Glasgow report focused on the philanthropic work done by the Faizal and Shabana Foundation at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu, Kozhikode

Pics: Faizal E Kottikollan and his wife Shabana; the entrance to the school  

By Shevlin Sebastian 

At 5.30 a.m., business magnate Faizal E Kottikollan heads to the beach at Kozhikode. He likes to see the roaring waves, as he goes about doing stretching exercises and embarks on a jog. The steady wind also relaxes him and clears his mind, as he plans for the day ahead. After an hour-and-a-half, he returns, but always stops at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu. 

On a recent morning, when he stopped at the gate, a group of women were standing there. They rushed towards him and said, “Mr Faisal, where is [your wife] Shabana Maam?” He told them his wife was in Dubai. Then one of them said, “We just wanted to thank you for what you have done to this school. Every day we walk on the ground and pray for you.” 

Unusually, the school is open for outsiders. People can come and use the grounds till 8 a.m. “Almost 70 to 100 women come every day because the school is for the benefit of society too,” says Faizal. “Some go for a walk. A few have yoga sessions.” 

The school has become famous all over Kerala, thanks to the extraordinary infrastructural as well as the holistic development of the students. This was funded by the Faizal and Shabana Foundation. With the help of MLA Pradeep Kumar, the organisation spent a whopping Rs 20 crore on this one school.  

This happened five years ago. But the 126-year-old school sprang back into the limelight in March when the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow published a glowing case study recently called ‘Faizal and Shabana Foundation: A Venture Philanthropic Approach to Education’. 

On a cloudless July morning, as one walked in, there was a pergola in front which has leaves entwined around the wooden feel pillars and going all the way to the roof. To the left and the right are green plants. 

In the atrium of the main building, there is a striking mural painting on the wall, going all the way to the first floor, of a tree with numerous leaves and thick roots. “This is known as the ‘Tree of Knowledge’,” says Shabana Faizal. “Every leaf represents a child and it is like a mother tree.”  

Interestingly, while climbing up the stairs to go to the first floor, the windows are at a lower height. “This was done deliberately,” says Shabana. “This was made at the height of small children so that they can look out and see the trees.” 

The classrooms are airy and bright and painted in soft colours of beige, yellow and mauve. There are large chemistry and biology labs. “Some university students told us it is bigger than the ones found in their college,” says Dr Joseph Sebastian, Director-Faizal and Shabana Foundation. And the indoor recreation area, with a high roof, is astounding. Painted in a deep blue, you can play volleyball, basketball or badminton. 

At one side, there is a space where weight-lifting and stretching exercises can be done. There are drawings of sportspeople running, swimming and jumping on the walls. High wire-mesh windows ensure that there is good air circulation. “Can you imagine this is a government school?” says Joseph. 

The mess is also large, with tables and plastic chairs to seat 1200 students. Canteen manager Unnikrishnan says, “Before the makeover, the canteen was so small that only three or four teachers were able to sit inside. The students had their lunches on their desks.”   

At one side, there is an all-weather astroturf. This was brought from New Zealand at a cost of Rs 1 crore. “Faizal said there should be no compromise when it came to quality,” says Shabana.  

The change in the mindset of the students has been profound. “I feel proud to say that I am studying at Nadakkavu,” says Reena Das, a Class eight student. “Earlier, when I would leave for school my mother wouldn’t even say bye. Now, she comes to the door every time. In the buses, we are also treated with respect because we have been provided with very good uniforms.” 

At his plush air-conditioned office, Faizal smiles when he hears this. “The Nadakkavu school has sparked a revolution,” he says. Then he opens a New Indian Express newspaper and points at a June 26, 2019 headline. It says: ‘Development work on 36 schools nearing completion’. “They are all following our model,” he says. 

Today, in Kerala, there are 141 government schools similar to the one in Nadakkavu. “We also did it in a school in Tamil Nadu,” says Shabana. “The Delhi government came to see our model and are implementing it.” Celebrities who came to see it first-hand included music composer AR Rahman, former cricketer Brett Lee, former footballer Ronaldinho and Mollywood actress Manju Warrier.     

A hugely successful businessman in the Gulf Faizal sold his standalone valve casting foundry, one among the top three in the world, in 2012, to American business company Tyco for a cool $400 million. 

“Shabana and I thought that we should make a difference with this money,” says the 54-year-old. “People with the correct attitude and intentions can do that. Earlier, businessmen thought about society and its social requirements. Nowadays, they only think about themselves. That is the difference between the old and the new school. And I am happy to say I belong to the old school.” 

He also understands the importance of education. “Education was the main driver in our family,” he says. “Thanks to my parents, we are an educated Muslim family which was not that common at that time. I have three masters in total: engineering, MBA in finance and marketing, and industrial engineering, the last two of which I got from the United States. I worked in the US, travelled the world and seen how it functions. And I realised that without education it is very difficult to do well in life.” 

He also feels India is sitting on a powder keg. “It can explode at any time,” says Faizal. “The difference between the rich and the poor is so huge. Out of a population of 1.3 billion people, 600 million people find it difficult to make ends meet. The only way we can change that is through education. Today, there are 1.2 million government schools across the country. How many people go to private school? It is less than 10 per cent. The vast majority are government or government-aided schools. The poorest of the poor only go to these schools. And these have to be improved drastically. It needs government help but it should not be the government’s problem alone. Private people should contribute. People with money should contribute. People with knowledge should contribute.” 

And Faizal has made a difference. Today 3 lakh students in Kerala have been changed. “You can calculate it,” says Faizal. “141 schools have been changed and there is an average of 2500 in each school.”  

Incidentally, the corpus fund of the foundation stands at Rs 140 crore.

(An edited version was published in Sunday Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)