Overview

Philosophy & Strategy:

Through the portfolio of elementary education, NFI endeavors to make a difference in the lives of marginalized children and disadvantaged communities who live in areas that are poorly served by state schools. NFI believes that quality education is the key to peace and good citizenship. Facilitating good education is critical to bringing alive our vision of social justice and equity.

NFI’s strategy is to support the running of schools by committed voluntary organisations in such areas. But more importantly, NFI’s objective is to facilitate a teaching-learning process that embodies quality. By quality, we mean education that proves itself to be locally contextual, value-based and meaningful for the society. NFI also engages in commissioning research, granting fellowships and communicating to the public its work of supporting grassroots voluntary agencies. In doing this, NFI is trying to inform and influence public understanding of issues in education.

Activities:

NFI engages in giving grants to NGOs, commissioning research, granting fellowships and largely communicating to the public, its work of supporting grassroots voluntary agencies.

A significant amount of NFI’s education work is seeded in India’s Northeast, a politically and socially turbulent and sensitive region. Besides, it also supports education projects in Bihar. It is open to supporting more education projects in all the Northeastern states, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Future:

NFI’s support to plural kinds and systems of education offers an opportunity for deeper reflection and for deriving the best after assimilating diversity. We are supporting NGOs in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh to set up new schools for disadvantaged children. We plan to continue supporting SNEHA and SST, and also promote more of such schools today.