CB BureauAnnu Rathore, a student from Government Senior Secondary School, Kasan, Manesar, scored 484 out of 500 (97 per cent) marks in Haryana state’s Class 12th board exam. A humanities student, Annu has secured fourth rank in the state and topped the arts stream in Gurugram district. The school is one of the government schools supported by Maruti Suzuki in Manesar and its score is much higher than the average result of Haryana state. Annu aspires to become an English lecturer and support her family.
The key objectives of Maruti Suzuki’s programme and the company’s contributions to these schools are infrastructure development and overall learning-level improvement. Intervention in school education started in 2007″08 with infrastructure upgradation of government schools in the villages around the company’s manufacturing plants. The company has entered into a formal partnership with the Haryana government and now works with 50 schools in Gurugram, Manesar and Rohtak.
The main focus areas in infrastructure include constructing separate toilet blocks for boys and girls, setting up drinking water facilities, development and maintenance of green areas, providing furniture like dual desks and blackboards, installation of lights and fans, and upgrading electrical fixtures.
Under learning-level improvement, the company works with an expert agency to identify and provide qualified teachers and train and equip them with innovative teaching methods and technology. To date, it has provided 40 support teachers who help students in physics, math and English. The company also provides reading material, books and literature to students. It conducts pre- and post-assessment tests periodically to check the progress of the students.
As per the company, impact-assessment studies have showed a high level of satisfaction among students, teachers and other beneficiaries over the improved facilities and study environment. A substantial increase in enrolments and retention, notably among girls in secondary school, has been a positive outcome. The overall enrolment of students in the Gurugram schools has increased in the last five years, although exact numbers weren’t provided. In the 2017″18 class 10 and 12 state-board results, the overall pass percentage of the company-supported government schools in Gurugram was higher than the district pass percentage.
A couple of other encouraging statistics are:
- Pass percentage of Maruti Suzuki-supported schools increased after the intervention (exact figures not given).
- Average pass percentage of 12th standard was around 60 per cent in 2017″18 compared to 44 per cent in 2014″15.
Questions related to long-term plans and the duration of its current engagement did not receive a direct response.
AK Tomer, executive director, corporate planning, Maruti Suzuki India, said, ‘We are all proud of Annu’s achievement of topping the arts stream in Gurugram district. She has braved many challenges to achieve this feat. My compliments to her school principal, Shri Dilawar Deswal, teachers and of course her parents. I’m confident that with hard work her dreams will be fulfilled.
‘School education is an important CSR intervention for Maruti Suzuki. Our focus is to improve overall learning levels of students in government schools, including the one where Annu was studying. Regular “need assessmentâ€, interactions with students, teachers and parents has helped us in designing and undertaking relevant projects.’