From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Apr 7: Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport of Bengaluru, has won the Golden Peacock National Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR Award 2020 from the Institute of Directors for its flagship CSR programme, Namma Shikshana.

Namma Shikshana is aimed at ensuring 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 and CEO, BIAL.

Under its CSR initiatives, BIAL has redesigned and built five government schools, refurbished six schools with additional facilities and 21 Anganwadis received infrastructure upgrades.

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 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. The efforts from BIAL have helped in reducing 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 and government-aided high schools of Bengaluru Rural district. This made a deeper impact as Bengaluru Rural district rose to the second position from 14th in the overall SSLC ranking in Karnataka in the last two years.

To support talented and deserving students, BIAL provided scholarships for over 200 students for higher education.

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 focusing 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