LUCKNOW (India CSR): Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the philanthropic arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), inaugurated the second phase of ‘Vidya Vahini Program’ to help enhance the knowledge and exposure of government school students in remote rural areas across Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the field of science.
Aligned with Government of India’s National Education Policy, Vidya Vahini is an initiative of HMIF which focuses on improving the quality of education imparted to government school students in remote areas to equip our youth with vital skills and knowledge to enable them to thrive in a technology-driven society. Additionally, the program helps teachers upskill themselves on latest scientific experiments through workshops and conducts various exhibitions for students to showcase their innovative ideas.
The program expansion was inaugurated by Sandeep Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Basic Education Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in the presence of Dr. M K Shanmuga Sundaram (IAS), Principal Secretary, Basic Education Department, Uttar Pradesh, and senior officials from HMIL including Mr. Puneet Anand, Vertical Head – Corporate Communication & Social, HMIL and Mr. Soon Sang Hong, Vertical Advisor – Corporate Communication & Social, HMIL.
Speaking on the launch of the program, Puneet Anand, Vertical Head – Corporate Communication & Social, HMIL, said, “The Vidya Vahini program aims to nurture young minds and encouraging innovation in remote areas, where access to study material and scientific experiment models is a challenge. The first phase of Vidya Vahini has been very successful as 10,000 students across 5 districts of Uttar Pradesh have been directly benefitted through this program. I hope that the program will enhance the knowledge and exposure level of science students studying in remote areas and will provide them with better opportunities for their future. We aim to empower the next generation in India and give every student an opportunity to expose themselves to the vast field of science.”
Commenting on the significance of the program, Sandeep Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Primary Education, Government of Uttar Pradesh said, “Vidya Vahini Program is a unique initiative by Hyundai Motor India Foundation, and we appreciate the thoughtful approach of supporting students from distant areas of the society, who aspire to pursue and innovate in the field of science but are often left behind due to challenges of material availability in rural areas. Hyundai Motor India Foundation’s initiative is a positive approach towards promotion of education in India and I hope the initiative becomes a success and inspires others to do the same.”
Based on the success of the Vidya Vahini program, an expansion phase has been inaugurated which includes 5 Mobile science libraries and 15 Lab on Bike. HMIF has invested INR 2.38 Crores till now for this program with the aim of benefiting 30,000 students and aims to further invest in the same. These vehicles will be deployed across 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and will cover various government schools in remote rural areas creating an outreach to students for helping them enhance their knowledge bank in the field of science.
The program will also take up additional activities such as organizing science fairs across government district schools to give students a platform to showcase their innovative skills and impart training on latest materials and scientific models to teachers which will help them impart the latest education modules to students.
With Agastya Foundation as the implementation partner, Vidya Vahini Program was launched in 2022 in the state of Uttar Pradesh across Ghazipur, Shamli, Gonda, Lalitpur and Shahjahanpur districts and became a success with 10,000 benefitting from the program. The students were given access to latest study materials and exposure to various scientific experiments. The program also provided upskilling training to government school teachers so that quality of education impartment is ensured for longer periods of time. As part of the program, 48 science fairs were organized at district level wherein students were encouraged to participate and showcase their innovative skills.
