My background...

After completing my post-graduate degree, I obtained a doctoral degree in poverty alleviation. From the beginning my interest was rural development and that inspired me to pursue a career related to that, with a focus on program implementation. Poverty was my core area of focus – to address the needs of the poorest of the poor. Consistent with that, I have worked for Andhra Pradesh Productivity Council, two world Bank funded rural Development Program in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and Asian Development Bank funded Tsunami rehabilitation project in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, because I had already worked with governments, NGOs, and international agencies, one of my professors invited me to join his organization to conduct third-party monitoring and evaluation of international projects and national projects and programs. When Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs were beginning to launch in India, I got interested in being a part of that effort. I joined NATCO Trust CSR wing of Natco Pharma Limited, an organization whose mission aligned with my focus of rural development and poverty reduction and was associated with NATCO School of Learning. In all the projects I have worked on, education has always been a core component.

My goals for the school...

I strongly believe that school academic curriculum needs to be augmented with activities that provide students exposure to different aspects of learning and growth. This type of exposure is more readily available for children in urban areas, but not for rural children. Parents of these children are not educated and, often, do not have the means to provide for it. Exposing the children to United Nations SDG, for example, sensitizes the children to societal issues besides academics. Ultimately this will guide them in their choice of a career in the future as well.

My thoughts on Aikyam...

I discovered Aikyam through a mutual contact. I find it very useful, particularly for children from rural background. There is perceptible difference in the children before and after they participate in the program. The teachers who facilitate the program have learned a lot in the process and improved their skills, so they benefit from it as well. We involve the parents at the end of the program. They are happy and appreciate what the children are accomplishing. The school management also gets exposure for incorporating such programs. All the stakeholders benefit from the program. We routinely highlight the program in meetings with the parents, in our magazine, and in our reports to management as well as the state.

We are associated with 48 government schools in the region and numerous Anganwadi centers, which are rural childcare centers. We want to promote Aikyam to these institutions as well.