Srinagar, Dec 14: Hinduja Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the 100-year-old Hinduja Group, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop India, an educational non-profit working to meet the early developmental needs of children has distributed 1000 learning and accessory kits to students in grades I and II in the Reasi, Udhampur, and Rajouri districts in Jammu and Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora districts in Kashmir.
In association with the Samaghra Shiksha, Department of School Education, Jammu & Kashmir, the Foundation is focused to bridge the learning gap for students, particularly those who belong to low-income group families from remote rural villages of the state. As part of the partnership, Sesame Workshop India will create video playlists themed on social, emotional and cognitive needs of young children in Kashmiri and Hindi languages. They also plan to develop a training module and train the master trainers. The training will be delivered online and offline.
Commenting on the initiative, Paul Abraham, President, Hinduja Foundation said, “We, at the Hinduja Foundation, are proud to partner with LLF and Sesame Workshop India in delivering (study kits) to children in J&K. Some of these kids are returning to school after 2-3 years. We wish to re-engage them in education and academics. Sesame Workshop India with its attractive and well-thought-out study kits makes school fun while ensuring children feel the joy of learning once again.’’
Speaking about the collaboration, Sonali Khan, Managing Director, Sesame Workshop India expressed, “It’s important for all children to have equal access to learning and we believe this partnership gives us that very opportunity to help 1000 children of Jammu & Kashmir help get an equal start in school and life.”
The Hinduja Foundation has worked extensively in the education sector and their contribution has led to the reverse migration of over 12,000 students from Private schools to Government schools. Launched in 2015, the Road to School program impacts 96000 students annually from 960 plus schools across Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
With the help of this initiative, over 800 rural youth have been employed as teachers in remote schools.