David Beckhams visit in Visakhapatnam school highlights classroom innovation

It was a special day for the girls of the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Welfare Educational Institutions Society (MJPAPBCWREIS) residential school in Kothavalasa, who found themselves hosting an unexpected visitor on Wednesday (November 26, 2025).

Sir David Beckham, former England football captain and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, walked into their classrooms to watch Project-Based Learning (PBL) in motion. His arrival has put the spotlight on a school that has been reshaping how children learn through a partnership between Mantra4Change and Education Above All. The initiative is a part of a wider programme of the Mantra4Change supported by Education Above All aimed at improving classrooms across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Nagaland.

Mr. Beckham began his visit by sitting through an ongoing PBL session, where students led discussions and worked through tasks that required teamwork and reasoning. He then walked through a small exhibition created by the children, who presented projects in English, Mathematics and Science. Each display showed how the programme asks students to analyse problems and design solutions that reflect situations around them.

Students later invited him to take part in a tree-planting activity and explained how saplings are scanned and labelled using digital identifiers. In the library, he joined a reading circle and spoke with children about the books that guide their imagination. The four-hour-long visit ended with a lively one-touch football drill that drew delighted applause across the school grounds.

In his Instagram post, Sir David said, “Great day in India going back to school supporting Education Above All’s project based learning initiatives so much fun.”

“It gives us great joy that Sir David Beckham chose to visit one of our MJP schools,” said P. Madhavi Latha, secretary, MJPAPBCWREIS. “His presence at our school in a place like Kothavalasa is a reminder that when we work with the right intent and dedication, extraordinary things can happen.”

Mantra4Change, in partnership with the MJP (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule) Society and supported by Education Above All (EAA), has redesigned teaching and learning in 107 residential schools across Andhra Pradesh, reaching about 18,000 students and building the capacity of 107 school leaders. The Project-Based Learning programme has been integrated across English, Mathematics and Science, turning traditional classrooms into active learning spaces where students learn by collaborating on projects and present solutions to community problems.

Santosh More, co-founder of Mantra4Change, said, “Sir David Beckham’s visit is an inspiration for all of us and a powerful signal that innovation in our government schools matters. Project-Based Learning is raising children’s aspirations, and moments like this strengthen our resolve to work with governments and communities to make such learning the norm.”

The visit also adds fresh momentum to Shikshagraha, a people-powered national movement being co-built by Mantra4Change that is working to improve one million public schools across India.