Gyanda is Arvind’s flagship educational programme under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Gyanda literally means ‘Fountain of Knowledge’ What the programme attempts to do is to mentor children from the urban poor families, studying in municipal schools run by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, and provide them with supplementary education. The idea is to ensure that these children not only complete their education up to Class XII, but go on to graduate.
At the heart of this programme is to equip these children to break the vicious circle of poverty. Here is how the programme works.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation runs over 450 schools that provides free education to over 1.3 Lacs students. Most students in these schools come from the urban poor families living in congested urban settings.
Given the social and economic constraints, many students tend to drop out after primary education. They need guidance and financial support and hand holding to continue their education at least till higher secondary.
Gyanda is a unique initiative that provides educational, financial and motivational support to help students from economic backward sections of society to complete their education till Class 12 and further, if they have the merit and desire to study
The objective is to ensure that these children get quality education that results in gainful employment, thereby ensuring that theirs is the last generation in poverty.
Gyanda today supports about 1300 students. By 2020, it aims to extend the programme to cover 6,600 students; about 10% of the upper primary students of Ahmedabad’s Municipal Schools.
Initiated in 2006-7 the Gyanda project has been in operation for ten years. The first batch of students who enrolled for higher education is about to graduate.
A study on livelihood prospects of children who dropped out of school and those who were in the Gyanda programme has decisively shown that while the former are struggling to find work in the unskilled or semi-skilled market, the Gyanda students are poised to enter the organized sector.