My father retired from active service more than 20 years ago. He has since been contributing to society in his own small way. For more than 15 years now he has been teaching underprivileged children at his house, free of cost. Close to his house there is a Government School which is plagued with all the typical Government school problems. Teachers don't turn up consistently, when they do, they don't teach but just go through the motions, children are never encouraged to ask questions....So around 15 years ago he gathered some of these students and started taking daily sessions with them. From a small batch of five today he teaches almost 50 from class 6 to class 12.
And he teaches them everything. All subjects. In a way it is a mini school by itself. My mother also pitches in with the languages and for both of them this is their way of life, 6 days a week, 365 days a year. Even during the summer break.
When the first set of students cleared their 12th boards, some with first class and even one distinction, my father realised that their future was bleak. They came from families where an extra hand means extra labour and extra money in the house. Their parents now expected them to start working. The students themselves were realising the power of education but the family pressure was too much. The family could not afford higher education. Plus doing a BA or BSc degree did not guarantee a job. One of the guys wanted to learn computers, other wanted to learn auto repairs, while a third wanted to be a chef.
Fundamentally these boys faced two problems. One was the lack of finances and the second was lack of spoken English skills. Bank loans were out as banks needed guarantors and frankly our banking system is not geared up yet for these people who are at the fringes of society. Refusing to face defeat my father approached NIIT and a ITI type which offers 1-2 years diploma in engineering. With NIIT he used his personal charm and persuasive powers to get them to agree on an experimental basis to take on one student at cost. This meant that a course which was being offered for Rs 40k per annum would be available for Rs 10k. The problem was that for the family even Rs 10k per annum was out of question.
But having secured a letter from NIIT to this effect my father approached his PSU bank manager and agreed to stand as a guarantor for the loan. Using a similar strategy at a catering institute and ITI type, he managed to get the three enrolled. He then approached a local English speaking college and managed to wrangle a deal out of them too. To cut a long story short all three did well. One boy is today a software expert in Gurgaon, the other works at a 4 star in MP and the third has his own auto repair shop. And the families of each has gone through a sea change. All the children have studied, all have decent jobs, the parents are out of their perpetual debts and these families are today a part of India's thriving middle class.
My father continued this exercise for a few years more but the sheer effort, the running around, the unpredictability of it all took its toll. He just could not continue doing this year after year. He still teaches, advises, makes a few calls, sends the deserving candidates to the right people but he cannot go the distance.
My question is very simple. In this age of CSR and the tom tomming of CSR budgets by corporations in their AGMs and annual reports why cant these companies do something realistic at ground level. I know some do. But that's a miniscule some. The rest donate funds to NGOs or some such organisation, make an entry into the P&L and end of story.
For a start why cant all vocational educational institutes at the local level have at least one or two seats for deserving students of Government Schools. I am not talking about caste base or religion based quota. I am talking about merit based seats for the economically backward. These need to be cleared not by a local politician or a beauracrat but by teachers who can also stand guarantors. Not for money, but if their recommended student does not measure up then they lose their right to choose a student. I may be rambling, but surely there is a way out.
Can CSR ideas be solicited from small cities rather than the headquarters? Can corporates make CSR a measurable objective for every HR employee? Can there be a dedicated phone line where any citizen can call the corporate HR with a CSR request? Can the CEO's table a monthly CSR review meeting? Can original and implemented CSR schemes attract bigger tax relief?
I am sure there are many citizens like my father who have good intentions but not the means to implement the same. Can we do something to make these intentions come alive? Imagine if every middle class Indian can contribute with the help of one corporate to lift one family from poverty into respectable living then acche din will truly arrive.
It's time we make CSR more than just a tax saving scheme for corporates. It's time we realise the true power of CSR. It's time CSR empowers our citizen. It's time we the citizens realise the potential of CSR. And it's time CSR becomes a potent tool for the citizens too.
I would really request feedback, ideas and suggestions on this one.
And he teaches them everything. All subjects. In a way it is a mini school by itself. My mother also pitches in with the languages and for both of them this is their way of life, 6 days a week, 365 days a year. Even during the summer break.
When the first set of students cleared their 12th boards, some with first class and even one distinction, my father realised that their future was bleak. They came from families where an extra hand means extra labour and extra money in the house. Their parents now expected them to start working. The students themselves were realising the power of education but the family pressure was too much. The family could not afford higher education. Plus doing a BA or BSc degree did not guarantee a job. One of the guys wanted to learn computers, other wanted to learn auto repairs, while a third wanted to be a chef.
Fundamentally these boys faced two problems. One was the lack of finances and the second was lack of spoken English skills. Bank loans were out as banks needed guarantors and frankly our banking system is not geared up yet for these people who are at the fringes of society. Refusing to face defeat my father approached NIIT and a ITI type which offers 1-2 years diploma in engineering. With NIIT he used his personal charm and persuasive powers to get them to agree on an experimental basis to take on one student at cost. This meant that a course which was being offered for Rs 40k per annum would be available for Rs 10k. The problem was that for the family even Rs 10k per annum was out of question.
But having secured a letter from NIIT to this effect my father approached his PSU bank manager and agreed to stand as a guarantor for the loan. Using a similar strategy at a catering institute and ITI type, he managed to get the three enrolled. He then approached a local English speaking college and managed to wrangle a deal out of them too. To cut a long story short all three did well. One boy is today a software expert in Gurgaon, the other works at a 4 star in MP and the third has his own auto repair shop. And the families of each has gone through a sea change. All the children have studied, all have decent jobs, the parents are out of their perpetual debts and these families are today a part of India's thriving middle class.
My father continued this exercise for a few years more but the sheer effort, the running around, the unpredictability of it all took its toll. He just could not continue doing this year after year. He still teaches, advises, makes a few calls, sends the deserving candidates to the right people but he cannot go the distance.
My question is very simple. In this age of CSR and the tom tomming of CSR budgets by corporations in their AGMs and annual reports why cant these companies do something realistic at ground level. I know some do. But that's a miniscule some. The rest donate funds to NGOs or some such organisation, make an entry into the P&L and end of story.
For a start why cant all vocational educational institutes at the local level have at least one or two seats for deserving students of Government Schools. I am not talking about caste base or religion based quota. I am talking about merit based seats for the economically backward. These need to be cleared not by a local politician or a beauracrat but by teachers who can also stand guarantors. Not for money, but if their recommended student does not measure up then they lose their right to choose a student. I may be rambling, but surely there is a way out.
Can CSR ideas be solicited from small cities rather than the headquarters? Can corporates make CSR a measurable objective for every HR employee? Can there be a dedicated phone line where any citizen can call the corporate HR with a CSR request? Can the CEO's table a monthly CSR review meeting? Can original and implemented CSR schemes attract bigger tax relief?
I am sure there are many citizens like my father who have good intentions but not the means to implement the same. Can we do something to make these intentions come alive? Imagine if every middle class Indian can contribute with the help of one corporate to lift one family from poverty into respectable living then acche din will truly arrive.
It's time we make CSR more than just a tax saving scheme for corporates. It's time we realise the true power of CSR. It's time CSR empowers our citizen. It's time we the citizens realise the potential of CSR. And it's time CSR becomes a potent tool for the citizens too.
I would really request feedback, ideas and suggestions on this one.
