This Kochi school truly gives ‘navajeevan’ to its students

Navajeevan in Malayalam means ‘new life’ and that is exactly what a school by this name in Kochi Kerala is aiming to give to children with disabilities.

The approach is to empower children through academics and not vocational skills. Navajeevan believes that this is the only way to do so.

The school was started by a group of passionate people who wanted to make a difference and empower lives of disabled children. Hence, Navajeevan was born in the year 2014.

Today, there are over 50 students with various kinds of disabilities, including autism, dyslexia, Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and cerebral palsy studying at Navajeevan. Many parents have moved to Kochi from other parts of the state to enrol their children here.

Parents have moved to Kochi in order to admit their child in our school. Unlike earlier times, parents of disabled children are willing to educate and train their children. This is only going to get better in years to come. What makes us stand apart from other special schools is that we have a bunch of dedicated and skilled special educators who work day in and out. We know that we do our part well when we see the smile on faces of our children and their parents – Shiny Vinson, Principal, Navajeevan

Navajeevan has classes from pre-school to Class 12. They also have tie-ups with colleges where academically bright students can join after passing out of Navajeevan. Since they follow National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), students can be admitted to any college.

Nandita‘s 18-year-old daughter Pooja Lakshmi has a learning disability. She was studying in a regular school until Nandita decided to enrol her at Navajeevan.

“Earlier, my daughter had problems with reading. But after being a part of Navajeevan, she has been getting individual attention and care. They also focus on a lot of extracurricular activities which she loves. For a very long time, I have been searching for a place like this. I am glad that I made a decision to move her to Navajeevan!,” says Nandita.

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