The CSR initiative, supplying basic educational aids across 350 schools in rural Maharashtra, has led to lower drop-out rates and better performance. The next target is vocational education.

A warm welcome with a crisp 'good morning sir', is not something you expect from students of class IV in rural India but if students greet you that way in a zilla parishad school in Padval Pada village, a backward tribal hamlet in Vasai taluka near Mumbai, it is thanks to two things.

One, the state government has decided to teach English as a subject from Class I and two, the school has the Rs 2,000-crore Astarc group supporting it. The group, incidentally, supports 349 other schools across rural Maharashtra.

The support by the group, which is the largest manufacturer of automobile graphics in the world, has meant a fall in drop-out rates in schools.

Vasai may be a village fast transforming itself into a modern suburb of Mumbai in Thane district. But one only has to travel 15-20 km from Vasai, into the interiors, and find that education is the last priority for people there.

In the rural areas of Vasai taluka dominated by tribal communities like Mallhar-Kolis and Katkaris, tribal children are forced to drop out of school for a number of reasons: right from the need to add to the family income to the lack of basic facilities like books, desks and leaking roofs.

Astarc group, which has a Classic Stripes factory in Vasai, began to look at the possibility of improving the schools in the area. It tied up with the panchayats and the school authorities to provide need-based support besides constant monitoring to maintain standards.

“Distribution of books, notebooks and uniforms have brought children back to school and availability of basic educational aids like charts has helped us explain to the student, who has never seen an apple, why A stands for Apple,” says Diwakar Patil, a school teacher from zilla parishad school in Padval Pada village in the Vasai taluka.

“The situation was so bad that of the 10 students enrolled only 3 used to complete their primary education up to standard VII, but after the Astarc group’s aid program started our attendance touched 95 per cent and we received a award from zilla parishad for the best attendance,” says a proud Patil.

Patil added the availability of basic educational aids like blackboards, chalks and dusters has motivated the teachers beyond-end.

Kishore Musale, chairman and managing director, Astarc, was inspired to take up this programme from his father.

“My father who set up the business of engravings on automobiles was a IV standard educated person. He used to say to me that if he had an education, he could have gone way ahead in business and done more things in life.

That left a lasting impression on me and so when we decided to initiate our CSR activity, education was the natural choice to begin with,” says Musale.

“We take pride in having a billion-plus population and say that it is the most important resource India will have to offer to global economy,but unless this population has the right kind of education and skills, we will waste the opportunity which has come knocking on our doors,” adds Musale

The children who used to shy away from school for want of books and uniforms are today back in the classroom.

This has happened due to the intervention by Astarc group, says Vijay Katkar a teacher from the zilla parishad high school from Halol village.

Katkar has received basic computer training under Astarc group’s CSR initiative. He uses the knowledge to make his students computer literate, whenever there is electric supply.

“Astarc group is providing uniforms and educational material to students and helping the schools with various educational aids like scientific charts, laboratory equipment, computers, sports equipment, and also help in carrying out repairs of leaking roofs and construction of toilets in nearly 350 schools of Vasai and Vikramgadh taluka of the Thane district,” says Balasaheb Babar, a coordinator from Kishore Musale Charitable Trust.

The trust is named after the group’s chairman Kishore Musale which is implementing the Astarc group's corporate social responsibility initiative (CSR).

The number of students benefiting from this assistance annually is 25,000 now and the group intends to double this number soon. The group goes about the task in a methodical way.

Babar and his team of four trained social workers visit schools in various villages and identify their needs by talking to teachers, students, parents, gram panchayat members etc.

They then recommend to the trust a particular school for aid. Later they constantly monitor the progress of the school in terms of attendance, results and its performance in various competitions organised by the zilla parishads.

“If we find that a school is lacking in some aspect, then we call a meeting of the villagers, explain to them where the school is lacking and how it could be improved and try to get their consent on the measures we suggest,” says Babar.

Apart from providing aid to schools in Vasai and Vikramgadh taluka, Astarc group, which has interests in automobile accessories, building material, food and protective gears, runs an educational complex at the Kankavli in Sindhudurg district of Konkan region where education up to the college level is provided. Kankavali is the native town of the Musale family.

The group spends Rs 4-5 crore on CSR activity every year. “Primary education is a must but vocational training is equally important, if one has to get a job,” Babar adds. And that leads Musale and Astarc to its next venture.

“Our next venture in CSR will be in vocational education and we are talking to some overseas institutes for technical cooperation in this respect,” says Kishore Musale.

URL: http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=3&leftindx=3&subLeft=2&autono=320079