Ranchi, July 20: In its quest to provide quality education to the underprivileged, Usha Martin, a manufacturing company, today opened its first school in Rukka, about 20km from the state capital.
With its aim to provide high quality and low cost education to the rural kids, the company will connect this school to 100 others across the state and elsewhere.
The schools christened Usha Martin Gurukul will prepare the students to speak in fluent English, Hindi apart from their local dialect.
The initiative under the corporate social responsibility, the company has also roped in noted academic Spokey Wheeler as the CEO of the project. Wheeler has worked in a number of projects in Pune and Mumbai apart from Africa and England.
“The 21st century belongs to India. But due to lack of opportunities, quality education is limited to a privileged few while the rural youths are bereft of it. Our effort is to provide quality education to rural child in low cost schools,” said Basant Kumar Jhawar, the chairman of Usha Martin Group. He said the method of teaching to be followed would be innovative and rooted to rural life.
Basant along with his younger brother Brij Kishore Jhawar today inaugurated the school building at Rukka. Already 150 children, from in and around Rukka on Ranchi-Hazaribagh national highway, have been admitted to the school.Their classrooms have been named after fruits such as katahal (jackfruit), aam (mango) and litchi so that the children can relate to them.
“Innovative educational methods should not be limited to city institutes only. Rural areas should also enjoy the benefit of the same,” Basant said.
The Usha Martin Gurukul chain of schools would follow trilingual medium — English, Hindi and local dialect — to make the students strong in languages.
“We can promise parents that their children will be able to speak fluently in English and Hindi, apart from their local dialects after they attend classes here,” said Spokey Wheeler, who was present at the inauguration.
He said the school would focus on overall development of the child. “We look forward to nurturing a generation where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,” Wheeler said, quoting Rabindranath Tagore.
Basant said the corporate house under CSR has a plan to open several such low cost, high quality schools across the state. He said another such school in Gundiripokhar village of Ormanjhi block is ready, which would be inaugurated on July 31.
Secretary of Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra, an NGO run by Usha Martin group under its corporate social responsibility, Jayant Mitra was also present on the occasion.
