July 9, 2012

John Mathew and Whilhelmina Mathew, the academically inclined husband-wife duo has recently taken charge as Principal and Coordinator and Head of Department of English at Green Valley National School and PU College, respectively.

In today’s competitive world education is considered to be the gateway to a successful future. Naturally every parent aspires for providing high quality education because that is the best gift parents can give to their children. Despite education receiving a great deal of attention in recent years, for most anxious parents and their children getting quality education is a mere chimera in many states of India.

However, there is an exception and Green Valley National School (GVNS) and P U College of Shiroor, in Kundapur Taluk of Udupi District of Karnataka, certainly disprove the notion. In a short span of a decade since its inception, GVNS has emerged as a residential educational institution of repute fulfilling the needs of parents and students who have been on the lookout for an institution of international quality education to their children.

Needless to say, their search for a dream educational institution ends at GVNS which has conceptualized a holistic and broad-based approach to provide quality education. In the last one decade Green Valley National School and PU College has filled this vacuum to emerge as a top notch residential institution catering to the needs of students from different parts of the country and also to NRI’s. It is a co-ed school and admission is open to students from Kindergarten to Pre-university, thus providing a sturdy foundation in the early years of childhood development of students and then fortifying it at high school and pre-university levels.

Affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (ICSE) New Delhi and Karnataka P U Board GVNS provides liberal, comprehensive education, a stepping stone to competence and brilliance comparable to the best in the country. The institution has registered excellent results with 100% first class in ICSE in class X and 100% pass in PUC for the last four consecutive years speaks volumes of the benchmark it has set for itself. The school is determined to maintain this track record intact and attain greater glory.

The Beginning

For Syed Abdul Kader, Managing Trustee for whom GVNS it is a dream comes true to see the institution emerge as a guiding light to students and to arm them with skills and expertise required to face the tough world ahead. “Shiroor did not have a good quality primary, high school and secondary level educational institution for long which forced locals to migrate to other places in search of good institutions. The Founder Trustees hailing from Shiroor wanted to contribute something to the society which resulted in setting up GVNS in 2001, says the soft spoken Syed Abdul Kader, the brain behind the institution.

Located in sprawling 10 acre green expanse of pristine environs of the beautiful valley of Shiroor on NH 66, the school campus is easily accessible by rail, road and air. The campus, true to its name, is enfolded with green and tranquil ambience, perfectly suited for academic pursuits. It is a welcome sight to see the school campus standing tall with its aesthetic beauty, away from the hustle-bustle of the chockablock kind of vicinity, common to most schools in our country. The verdant idyllic scenic beauty provides a peaceful atmosphere for teaching and learning paving the way for educational excellence.

The Present

11 years is too small a period in the life of an institution. Yet in this short journey Green Valley National School has exemplified its motto “Virtue Alone Ennobles” to the extent possible by striving hard to reach the highest echelons of academic excellence and by scaling greater heights. It goes to the credit of the institution that the combined effort of the school management and the faculty has yielded desired results firmly establishing its name in the echelons of quality education.

The school management of GNVS believes that infrastructure is a vital key to academic excellence and has provided modern infrastructure that gives its students the cutting edge. The aesthetically designed school edifice and the equally conducive surrounding atmosphere is thea true symbol of the priority given to infrastructure. The school boasts of some of the best infrastructure in the country such as spacious school campus, huge playgrounds, system of smart classes, separate labs, enormously stocked library, computer labs, theatre/AV rooms, activity centers, auditorium, spacious dining room &, fleet of buses to ferry students from nearby areas, among other things. Technology is used extensively to supplement classroom teaching. These facilities would make learning and teaching a pleasant and cherished experience for the students as well as teachers.

Having an experienced, competent and dedicated faculty is an invaluable asset to any educational institution because quality of education is proportionate to the quality of teaching. GVNS is fortunate to have the services of a highly competent and effective faculty which has been molding the talents of the students. The dedication and competence of the teachers has played a crucial role in the school in maintaining consistency in academic excellence. 90% of the teachers stay in the teachers quarters provided at the campus and are available for the students round the clock.

In the pursuit of its goal of providing quality education Green Valley National School has recently added another feather in its cap by appointing John Mathew as the new Principal of the school and Whilhelmina Mathew as the Chief Coordinator and Head of the Department of English. Their appointment certainly augurs well for the institution as the educationist couple would infuse their decades of experience and expertise to accomplish goals and objectives the institution has envisaged in its pursuit of emerging as an educational institution of international standards.

Child-Centered Approach

Green Valley National School adopts a student-centered holistic approach to nurture the students to make them responsible and valuable citizens for the future. Therefore, the central focus of the school is the child where a child-centered teaching-learning approach is used to allow every child the freedom of expression of interests. This would make way for the natural blossoming of the talent of the student and help sublimate their instincts, inculcating in them the true values of life with a keen sense of discipline and responsibility. This approach extensively focuses on the developmental needs of the child along with academics. Child-centric approach helps the child to think, experience, explore, question and seek answers. It helps students to give vent to their creative impulses.

Co-curricular and extracurricular activities form a major part of education at GVNS because the institution aims at the overall development of the students. Students will get ample opportunities to participate in sports activities, quiz, debates, elocution competitions and inter-school competitions to showcase their talents.

GVNS has an excellent teacher student ratio of 1:10 which enables teachers to provide personalized attention and guidance to bring out the best in the students. The ideal ratio helps better teacher-student bonding, efficient teaching and evaluation. It would also enable students to forge better ties with one another.

Second Home

Green Valley National School and PU College is a residential school with top notch hostel facilities to house students who are away from their parents. Hostel facilities for both boys and girls are available for students from 5th class onwards. Rooms are well furnished and ventilated with facilities of attached bathrooms and toilets.

The institute provides separate hostel facilities for boys and girls and healthy and hygienic food (both veg and non-veg) is provided for the hostel students. Steam cooking facility is used to provide hygienic, wholesome and nutritious food to the hostel students. GVNS believes that hostel is like a second home for students and provides wholesome hostel facilities. In addition to providing the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter the institute focuses on providing love, care, warmth and a sense of security for the students who are away from the adoring care of their parents.

The Future

At present GVNS has student strength of 800 as against the capacity of 2500 students. Plans are afoot to introduce the entire institute with smart classes with modern technology. Abdul Kader says “my target is to bring GVNS on par with international standards in every aspect academic and extra – curricular, which would give the cutting edge for the students when they go out to face the world”.

Plans are also on the anvil to provide a swimming pool, skating rink and ultra-modern play grounds within the next one or two years. The management is also thinking of building new blocks or to expand the existing ones in order to provide additional infrastructural facilities for students. The school aims at making education a challenging, attractive and enjoyable aspect of human endeavor.

Armed with a new team of educationists, coupled with the unwavering and altruistic zeal of the management to make it a quality educational institution of repute, Green Valley National School is taking triumphant strides in this ennobling task.

John Mathew M.A Lit., M.Ed., MBA

John Mathew and Whilhelmina Mathew, the academically inclined husband-wife duo has recently taken charge as Principal and Coordinator and Head of Department of English at Green Valley National School and PU College, respectively.

John Mathew, who is the founder Principal of Cambridge School in Mangalore, has an educational career spanning 26 years of which he has been the Principal for almost 22 years. His global exposure and experience and his eclectic educational background would herald a new era in terms of all-round progress of GVNS. Pioneer work in educational institutions is his forte and Mathew has proved his credentials more than once. His knowledge, experience, vision and proclivity for discipline are sure to bring about whip of fresh air at GVNS in its quest for consolidating its commitment to provide high quality education.

Mathew says his primary focus would be “to provide student-centered, pastoral and holistic education where success of student is the ultimate motto. In such an atmosphere, students will be following activity oriented and experiential learning by learning by doing through projects and activities in addition to their academics programmes”.

John Mathew, who was serving as the Principal of Villa International High School in Maldives before taking charge at GVNS, has devised short and long term plans for taking the institution to greater heights. Short term plans include having a progressive approach in providing a conducive learning environment with necessary infrastructure and facilities. Long term plans include making GVNS a landmark institution by putting it in the national map of education. He also said he would accord top priority to be the host for a variety of programmes for students from other schools and also encourage his students to take part in such activities.

Whilhelmina Mathew M.A., MTT, B.Ed

English language being the gateway to success GVNS has accorded paramount importance to give a good foundation for students in English language both oral and written. The school has a set up an English lab, an exclusive feature of GVNS, to equip students to speak fluent and impeccable English with special emphasis on diction. Whilhelmina Mathew who has 23 years of global/national level academic and administrative experience has served in some of the prestigious schools in India and abroad in various capacities.

Armed with an experience of 23 years at primary, high school and secondary level, Whilhelmina would concentrate in providing a good foundation for spoken and written English for students. She says her twin roles as a Coordinator and Head of the English Department would be quite challenging. “For me education is not a profession but a passion. If it is a profession I will not be able to execute my responsibilities. For me it is a passion because I love children and want to work for the benefit of children and the society”, she declares.

Whilhelmina is known for her extraordinary talent of streamlining English Language Development activities and with her at the helm with twin responsibilities, GVNS is poised for giant strides to fulfill its cherished goals.

Contact:

Green Valley National School & PU College
NH 66, Shiroor – 576 228
Kundapur Taluk, Udupi District,
Karnataka
Phone: 08254 – 253999 , 273333, 253633

Email: gvnsindia@gmail.com
Website: www.gvnschool.net