The first of these schools — Government Middle School, Bari Shah Da Talab, Distt Samba – was revamped in partnership with Ennoble Social Innovation Foundation. The revamped school was handed over to the school authorities at a ceremony held in Jammu. The revamp would benefit the over 35 students studying in this school.
The development work was carried out by Dabur India Ltd’s CSR arm Jivanti Welfare & Charitable Trust and an independent Not-for-Profit organization Ennoble Social Innovation Foundation. Dabur India Limited Head-Manufacturing Hrishikesh Ramani along with students inaugurated the revamped school and handed it over to the school authorities in the presence of ZEPO, Vijaypur Anil Kumar of Education Department, Ennoble Social Innovation Founder & CEO Chirag Bhandari, School Management Committee members & Village Panchayat.
The transformation includes establishing separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls, creating safe drinking water facilities and upgrading the school infrastructure with BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) painting. The school was also equipped with experiential education materials including a Mini Science Lab and Teaching Learning Material for an engaging learning experience. The school premises are now friendly for specially-abled students with the creation of ramps for Child with Special Needs (CwSN) toilet.
The revamped school now has new playground and uninterrupted electricity supply. Recycled Paver block has been used and compost bin has been set up to sensitize students on sustainability and to inculcate a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
The school, with its innovative elements and vibrant building, is now comparable with any private school. The entire community, including the school authorities, are delighted with the transformation and there is an increased interest amongst the community to enroll their kids in this school. Dabur India Limited Head-Manufacturing, Hrishikesh Ramani stated – “Dabur is committed to sustainable well-being of people in our operational areas and we believe that ensuring proper education for children is a priority endeavour. At Dabur, we have always supported the cause of promoting quality education and empowering individuals. This school support programme is an intrinsic part of our efforts to improve the overall learning environment in schools in Jammu, which we feel will go a long way in reducing school dropouts.”
Hrishikesh Ramani further added – “We have been constantly engaged in development activities that create a sustainable impact in the communities we operate in. At Dabur, we believe that education is both the means to a better life and a key to ensure overall development of the society. In a bid to improve enrollment levels and reduce the dropout rates in rural and semi-urban schools, Dabur has taken up the onus of improving the infrastructure in schools and improving the learning experience for children in rural India.”
Chirag Bhandari, Founder Ennoble Social Innovation shared that “Ennoble envisions to make Government Schools Lovable and No. 1 choice of the community by revamping school infrastructure and creating conducive learning ecosystems. Further, he stated – We are glad to have found a partner in Dabur who are focused on working at grassroot levels to improve the learning spaces under their CSR initiative.”
The school revamp was undertaken after detailed discussions with the school authorities and keeping their specific needs in mind. Hrishikesh Ramani stated – “After a detailed survey of the region, these two schools were identified this year as the initial beneficiaries for our Education-led CSR interventions in Jammu. After discussions with the school administration and local authorities, we commenced a host of development activities in these schools. Our intention is to develop and support these schools as Model Schools for the region.”
Going forward, Dabur plans to roll out a host of development initiatives aimed at improving the livelihood of rural populace, particularly women and children in the region.
