The Hindu Business Line : UK Minister shows interest in Naandi education initiative

MINISTERIAL DISH: Mr David Miliband, British Minister for School Standards, lends a hand in cooking the mid-day meal for school children at Naandi Foundation in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Naandi Foundation, an NGO, has set up a 17,000 sq ft kitchen to prepare meal for 1,30,000 children in Andhra Pradesh. - A. Roy Chowdhury

Hyderabad , Oct. 6

MR David Miliband, British Minister for School Standards, on Wednesday wished that three-month-old Nandini of Dr Ambedkar Nagar in the city would become a teacher when she grew up.

Residents of this colony that adjoined the posh Jubilee Hills would have scoffed at the idea if he had expressed it three years ago. Today, they have got a school of their own, thanks to `Power of Ten', a Naandi initiative.

This small but adequately supported school houses 150 children with three teachers.

Mr Miliband, who visited the school to see how the public-private partnership worked, was impressed by the community effort to build their own school.

He enquired from the parents and children about the school and its requirements.

The school got Rs 15,000 a month from 20 staffers of Pinexe (formerly PortalPlayer). Pinexe, along with some leading corporates, have joined Naandi to support schools that lacked funds.

"As of now, we are not able to come and spare some time in the school. We are planning to do so in the coming months," Mr M.S. Srinivas, a technical writer with Pinexe, told the British Minister.

The Minister asked him what made him to join the effort. "Because, I studied in such school," Mr Srinivas said.

The Minister said there were about 10 lakh Indians in the UK. "They are the most successful ethnic group in our country," he pointed out.

"I saw the children in the school. They are the future of Andhra Pradesh," Mr Miliband said.

He said his Government gave £200 million to India for promoting universal primary education, of which Andhra Pradesh got £40 million.

Ms Mamata, school committee chairman, said the nine-year-old school still faced some problems. "The roof leaks when it rains," she said. She said they wanted more space for the school.

Earlier in the day, the British Minister visited the world's largest kitchen run by the foundation at Uppal. The kitchen catered to 1,30,000 children every day, for five days a week.

He also met Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister.

Dr Reddy told the visiting UK Minister that the State Government was planning to introduce an insurance scheme for parents of school-going children.

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