SRINAGAR: The Army Goodwill Schools (AGS)-Bharti Airtel Foundation partnership has completed a decade, with the initiative expanding from 14 schools at its inception to all 43 Army Goodwill Schools across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The anniversary event was held at Army Goodwill Public School, Pahalgam, on Friday and was attended by Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command; Bharti Airtel Foundation Co-Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal; and AWWA Regional President, Northern Command, Shinei Sharma, besides senior Army and Foundation officials.
The partnership has focused on strengthening school leadership, classroom practices, academic management and teacher capabilities, while promoting technology-enabled learning and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Foundation also announced a fresh set of initiatives for the next phase of its engagement with the schools. These include additional library books, sports coaching, more smart classrooms, scholarships for higher education and cash incentives for meritorious Class 10 and 12 students.
Mittal said the Foundation would continue its support to the Army Goodwill Schools for the next decade.
The schools’ innovation programme has also produced more than 160 student-led projects through AGS Innovation Clubs. Students have participated in national-level platforms such as ISRO YUVIKA, INSPIRE-MANAK and Young Scientist India.
Addressing students at the event, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma spoke about his own experience as a student and the challenges he had faced, urging them to set higher goals and remain committed to achieving them.
Shinei Sharma called upon teachers and parents to play a greater role in preparing students for future challenges and stressed the need for wider social efforts to promote girls’ education and build an inclusive society.
The Army said its continuing focus would be on strengthening the educational ecosystem in AGS through academic excellence, innovation, leadership development and wider opportunities for students.
The decade-long partnership has thus moved beyond its initial 14-school engagement to cover the entire network of 43 Army Goodwill Schools in the region, while the new measures announced by the Foundation are aimed at extending support to students in education, sports and innovation.
