‘Quality education must for inclusive growth’

The Pioneer, Jan 5, 2011
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE, RAYAGADA

Inaugurating the new school building of Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir at Ambodala here on Sunday and also showing commitment for the development in Kalahandi and Rayagada regions, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) COO Dr Mukesh Kumar reiterated that Vedanta was concerned about improving the standard of education and healthcare for the overall development of the regions.

He further stressed that under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, it was also very much essential that every child must go to the school.

“Unless and until every child goes to school, Vedanta’s aim of improving educational standard is not fulfilled. To ensure every child gets at least pre-school education and to give the children nutritious food, Vedanta is supporting nearly 1,000 Aganwadi centres in association with GOO besides running nearly 45 Child Care Centres which aims at cent per cent enrollment in the primary school,” said Kumar.

VAL constructed the classrooms under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project Shiksha that aims at ensuring each child to enjoy his/her right.

He also promised to bring the school under the Computer Literacy Programme of VAL.

Further showing importance for the need of higher education in the area, he said, students of this area now can study science at degree level as Vedanta has opened a Degree-level Science College at Lanjigarh which will begin its academic session from 2011 and will enroll students from Lanjigarh, Biswanathpur, Ambodala, Munigura where students give up studies after 10th or +2 due to the unavailability of good colleges nearby.