Govt school among three finalists for top award; MP ministers laud achievement

BHOPAL: Ministers from Madhya Pradesh have lauded the state-run CM RISE Vinoba School in Ratlam after it was included in the top three finalists in the innovation category for the 'World’s Best School Prizes-2024' The Ratlam school is in the running for the prize founded by London-based T4 Education, an official said on Friday. The MP government has set up ‘CM RISE Schools’ across the state to offer high-quality and holistic education.

MP’s School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh congratulated the school for its achievement. The school is a visionary initiative of the Madhya Pradesh government, which aims to “turn our schools into centres of excellence at the global level”, he said. The aim is to create schools that provide high-quality education through innovative practices and strong community participation, the minister said.

Singh emphasised the importance of equipping children with 21st-century skills to prepare them for the challenges ahead and noted that these accomplishments are a testament to the remarkable dedication and efforts of teachers, school leaders, students, and the entire community. He expressed confidence that the Ratlam school will soon rank among the top schools in the world.

Chaitanya Kashyap, minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, visited the school on Friday to congratulate the teachers and students celebrating the global recognition. Schools participating in this category were from countries like the USA, UK, Spain, Brazil, Kenya and Thailand. Delhi’s Ryan International School is also in the race for the World’s Best School Prize for “Environmental Action” for tackling water scarcity and pollution through innovative projects like hydroponics and biogas plants.

The World’s Best School Prizes are presented to schools whose leaders, teachers and communities have demonstrated exemplary leadership and pioneering practices to improve the education of their students and have made a positive impact on their communities, an official release said. These schools are evaluated for the award through a three-stage process, starting with a review panel and ending with a jury academy including global experts.

The CM RISE Vinoba School of Ratlam is in the race to win the award of $10,000 for innovation in 2024, it said. Established in 1991 in the urban slums of Ambedkar Nagar in Ratlam, the school, now upgraded to CM RISE school, faced challenges in the form of low enrollment and attendance in its initial days. Weekly space for professional development initiated by its leaders, teachers leveraging online learning materials for their professional development and using them during classes are among the innovative practices adopted by the school, it said.

Teachers connect with parents virtually and use Google forms to track daily attendance in class, while structured rewards and recognition for teachers based on monthly polling through Google forms and regular team-building activities are being conducted to create a positive work culture, the release added.