- The new building will allow us to teach more students. The robust infrastructure will help students and teachers stay motivated, and contribute to improved education in this area: Bhagubhai Patel, President of Navchetan Vikas Mandal and Sarpanch of Junagam village.
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
HAZIRA-SURAT, FEB 27
As a part of its commitment to the cause of education and the development of communities in the vicinity of its plant at Hazira in Surat, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture of ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, is sponsoring the construction of a school in Junagam near Hazira, says a release.
The foundation stone of the NavChetan International English Medium School building, adjacent to the existing building, was laid by Zankhana Patel, BJP MLA from Choryasi seat, on Saturday.
Also present on the occasion were Anil Matoo, Head of Human Resources, Industrial Relations and Administration at AM/NS India, and Dipak Shah, Head of Corporate Affairs at AM/NS India.
“I extend my sincere gratitude to AM/NS India for supporting this initiative. It will go a long way in improving the quality of education in the area,” Patel said on the occasion.
“At AM/NS India, we are committed to the local communities and are happy to support any developmental initiatives. We had received a request from Junagam village and Navchetan Vikas Mandal seeking support for the construction of the building, as the school does not have adequate classrooms to accommodate students. We evaluated the request and have extended our support to the cause for the bright future of the local children,” said Matoo.
The new school building will comprise eight classrooms, staff office, computer lab, library, sanitation facility, and other amenities.
A total of 455 students from Hazira, Junagam, Damka, Mora, Vasva, Bhatlai, Suvali, Kawas, and Rajgiri villages in the area are studying in Navchetan International School, the only English medium school in the area. The school’s fee is the lowest in the area, and children of many AM/NS India employees are also studying in the school.
The school has permission to run classes up to 12th standard, but it does not have sufficient classrooms or infrastructure to accommodate more children. A few classes were conducted in the hall and some others in the open, and there was a pressing need for additional classrooms for proper teaching. Moreover, the existing building was damaged during the Tauktae cyclone in May last year.
“The new building will allow us to teach more students. The robust infrastructure will help students and teachers stay motivated, and contribute to improved education in this area,” said Bhagubhai Patel, President of Navchetan Vikas Mandal and Sarpanch of Junagam village.
