• Home
• /
• KT Network

JSS International School shines as finalist in Zayed Sustainability Prize 2023

Over the past 15 years, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has awarded 106 winners who have positively impacted the lives of over 378 million people around the world

The Zayed Sustainability Prize is the UAE’s pioneering global award that recognises and rewards small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations (NPOs), and global high schools with impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions. Established by the UAE leadership in 2008, the prize honours the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Over the past 15 years, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has awarded 106 winners who have positively impacted the lives of over 378 million people around the world.

The Zayed Sustainability Prize finalists for 2023 were announced on September 12 and JSS International School emerged as one of the three finalists from the MENA region in the global high schools category. Students were elated to know that their project 'Project Nanoclay' had been selected as a finalist.

“The primary focus of our project was to transform the sandy soils of UAE into a more fertile medium, facilitating increased food production within the country instead of relying heavily on imports,” says Tanay Meher, a project member. Manav Shah, his teammate, further elaborated, stating, “We utilised date palm fronds not only improves the soil’s water retention capacity but also enrich its nutrients."

Sahasra Buddharaju, another member quoted, “The preparation for the project in the past few months was hectic. We were constantly trying to find more cost-effective ways to produce the nanoclay and how to further incorporate the core values of agenda 2030 in our project.”

“The actual process was enjoyable. We all had the chance to apply our areas of expertise, contributing to the success of our project, and we also gained significant knowledge," says Anoushka Sengupta, a fellow team member.

Ananya Naik, another team member said, "We are extremely excited to hear this news. It opens up numerous opportunities for us, and we can hardly wait to see where this leads us. As finalists, we have been invited to COP 28 in November and we are incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”

Nidhi Pamnani expressed her gratitude, stating, "This was a tremendous opportunity for us, and we are deeply thankful to our CEO, Govindrao Naik, for introducing us to this platform. We would also like to extend our appreciation to Principal Lata Nakra, headmaster Dr Siddalinga Swamy, and head of the department Udayalakshmi for their unwavering support. Additionally, we are indebted to our teacher, Dr Pooja Khare, for her invaluable guidance throughout the duration of the project."