Under its (Corporate Social Responsibility) CSR initiatives, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), has redesigned and built 5 government schools, refurbished 6 schools with additional facilities and 21 anganwadis received infrastructure upgrades.
To support talented and deserving students, BIAL provided scholarships for over 200 students for higher education.
The schools are equipped with renewable energy sources and have provisions for rainwater harvesting, as a part of BIAL’s sustainable initiative. A brand-new library surrounded by lush green gardens forms an integral part of a conducive learning environment.
The flagship CSR programme Namma Shikshana has won the Golden Peacock CSR Award 2020 from the Institute of Directors.
Namma Shikshana is aimed atensuring that children – enrolled in government schools have access to high-quality primary and secondary education, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
“BIAL’s education programmes have had a meaningful impact by touching the lives of the community in the vicinity of the Airport. We believe education is a long-term investment and makes a permanent impact on lives, and I am glad to see that we are achieving results in the right direction,” said Hari Marar, MD & CEO, BIAL.
The infrastructure upgrade brought about a transformation in terms of the creation of a safe and protected learning environment for students. Together with subject matter experts and enhanced facilities, student enrolment more than tripled at each school, with more private school students seeking admission in government schools.
This reduced the financial stress on families. Overall, the initiative addressed multi-faceted challenges faced by Government schools in terms of infrastructure, teaching resources and innovation and has impacted over 10,000 students in the last three years.
In addition to infrastructure upgrades, BIAL supported a unique programme providing focused training for slow learners studying in Government & Government-Aided High Schools of Bangalore Rural District. This made deeper impact as Bengaluru Rural District rose to second position – from 14th – in the overall SSLC ranking in Karnataka in the last two years.
The projects under Namma Shikshana are broadly categorised into School Adoption Programme and Learning Enhancement Programme. Under each category are various projects related to nutrition, provision of uniforms, learning material and stationery, the augmentation of infrastructure and engagement of full-time resources persons. To improve the quality of education, subject matter experts were brought in and workshops conducted to encourage teachers to attempt new approaches to teaching.
BIAL, in its efforts towards augmenting social initiatives, has incorporated Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF) as a fully owned subsidiary.
The foundation focusses on five thematic areas classified under flagship initiatives:
Namma Shikshana for Holistic education interventions.
Namma Ooru focussing on integrated development.
Namma Nela – Namma Jala focussing on water and sanitation.
Namma Parampare for conservation and promotion of heritage and culture.
Namma Arogya for promotion of health.
