NJV Government Higher Secondary School stands tall, on the Main MA Jinnah Road, even after 163 years. For all those who wonder what NJV stands for, it is named after Narayan Jagannath Vaidya, who worked with great zeal and self-sacrifice for the advancement of education in Sindh. The school was named after him in honor of his services.
NJV School, housed in a beautiful yellow sandstone historic building, is one of the 600 buildings listed as a heritage site. It is the oldest public school in Sindh, started back in 1855 with 68 boys on its roll. It moved to its current location in 1876, with a total of 477 students. It even has the honor of housing the Sindh’s Provincial Assembly. As the first public school in Sindh, NJV School was pivotal in providing education to the people of Sindh.
In 2015, Government of Sindh and particularly Sindh Education & Literacy Department stepped up to revive the NJV School to its original grandeur physically and academically, by entrusting and working alongside Akhuwat in maintaining quality education free of cost.
Pakistan has one of the world’s largest pool of youth under the age of 16. Akhuwat is working aggressively to equip them with proper educational and vocational skills to meet the challenges of tomorrow through Akhuwat’s fee-free educational services for the marginalized community which include adoption of rural schools, Akhuwat Institute of Social Enterprise Management (AISEM), Akhuwat Faisalabad Institute of Research, Science and Technology (FIRST), Akhuwat College & Akhuwat University to be inaugurated in 2018. They have adopted over 300 non-functional public schools to provide quality education and facilities. One such school is NJV Government Higher Secondary School.
Before engaging in other substantive operations, a massive civil works project was undertaken to renovate the school and bring facilities like functional bathrooms, clean water, functioning doors, and electricity.
To date, Akhuwat is walking the path to providing state of the art facilities to the marginalized youth. The barren ground and rooftop are amazingly transformed into astro turf football field, tennis and basketball courts. There is a cricket pitch as well. Akhuwat’s focus is not just on providing quality education, but a quality lifestyle to the students as well. Kids who attend NJV School are the ones who cannot afford the cost. Therefore, they are provided with free education, uniforms, transport, snacks and books. For now, the number of buses are not enough to facilitate all students, so transportation is only provided to the far-off residents. Akhuwat has up to date technology in the IT Lab. The science lab and library are also getting renovated.
Personal efforts are made to keep track of the student’s performances and their attendance. Currently, there are over 1000 students enrolled, and 45% are girls. Akhuwat strongly believes in promoting female education as well.
Akhuwat also promotes that cooking is not restricted to one gender. Home economics classes are given to both boys and girls, where they learn to cook and bake. Every morning, there is a home period where students are taught basic hygiene, manner and social behaviors. Students are also engaged afterschool with classes like English, Math, Chess and Scouts.
Akhuwat considers it an honor and privilege to undertake the responsibility of reviving the school, entrusted by the Government of Sindh. Akhuwat’s aim is to compete with the existing established schools and bring NJV to the number ONE position it once held.
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