CSR In Education: A Favored Spend

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ― Nelson Mandela Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India has gained different dimensions in recent years. The Companies Act 2013 has mandated all companies with Rs 1,000-crore plus turnover, Rs 5-crore plus net profit or Rs 500-crore plus networth, to allocate 2 percent profit for CSR activities. The education in India has evolved over the years after the Independence and there have been notable advances made across various indicators. However, significant issues regarding the quality of education –such as lack of training, lack of infrastructure, quality of teachers, irrelevant curriculum and lack of accountability, continue to be challenging. These can have serious consequences on the development and growth of the country. Therefore, significant investments and efforts from the government and private sector are required to meet emerging needs and to boost the level of growth in this field. A recent survey states that 81 percent of companies said their corporate social responsibility (CSR) spend was on activities concerning education, 64 percent on community development and 61 percent on environment sustainability.

The burning need for education

Today, education in India has challenges of strained budgets, education infrastructure, teacher training, retention, and relevant curriculumCorporate India has been participating in the education sector through starting private sector for-profit education ventures as well as allocating their CSR spends on non-profit initiatives. This is proving to be win-win for all.

Reaping what we sow

Improving the area of education will not only result in the development of more aware and conscious society but also elevate the status of the country. Businesses that offereducation as an integral part of their CSR, can make a substantial difference to the society they operate in. It also positively influences the reputation and recognition for the business.

Vocational skills

Another challenge that the country is facing and potentially a huge opportunity awaiting out there is the Skills training. There exists lot of scope in promotion of vocational skills training across a variety of vocations that the country would need in the coming years / decades. Education in its totality, must include education of the heart alongside education of the intellect. A lot needs to be done in this direction. Emotional intelligence and social awareness needs to get prominence in the curriculum as we march towards becoming an economic power.

Quality education

The backbone of every society is education. But what weighs the most is the quality of education. In India, out of the 239 million students enrolled for classes I – XII, only a handful receive the quality education with qualified teachers and education aids. UNICEF states that 40-50 percent of the children from 16-18 years are dropping out of schools to go on to becoming child laborers denying themselves access to quality education. The Indian corporate sector has a big opportunity to play an impactful role in changing this by adopting different ways to improve the quality of education.

Strong impact

The CSR system can play a catalytic role in changing the educational spectrum in the country. It is hoped that both the corporate sector and the educational eco-system will be able to secure the resources they need to make way for providing fair, quality and effective education to all our children. References: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/education-is-the-most-favoured-area-forcsr-spend/article6600044.ece http://en.unesco.org/news/new-report-finds-fortune-500-companies-commit-fraction-csr-spend-education http://www.csrtimes.com/community-blogs/csr-in-education-in-india/vDziqCSXUj http://thecsrjournal.in/csr-in-india-education/ http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/now-csr-policy-for-school-education-sector-too/ Image References: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_students,_Mumbai.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/prathambooks/3292434390

The Current Scenario: India’s Growth in CSR

A country of myriad contradictions, India has grown to be one of the booming economies in the system and an increasingly significant player in the upcoming global management. But, on the other hand, it lags behind in many areas of the human development index. What surfaces is a picture of the irregular allocation of resources, which contributes to the underdevelopment. Resources in the current context would include CSR funds based on Corporate profits. In the past couple of years, CSR as a notion has been the center of many deliberations and study. It has risen in significance both academically as well as in the industry sense. It seizes a spectrum of conditions and standards for regulating a company’s addition to social progress. This blend of governing as well as societal demand means that businesses have to continue their CSR activities in a more professional manner. India has a long legend of paternalistic humanitarianism. The method, though commended recently, has been followed since early times, although informally. Scholars such as Kautilya from India and pre-Christian era sages encouraged the idea of moral systems being a crucial part of doing everyday business. There has been awareness recently that business cannot thrive in solitude and social development is needed for a sustainable increase. A model CSR method has both ethical and reflective dimensions, especially in India where there is a broad gap among divisions of people in terms of revenue and the socio-economic situation.

Education

Research shows that provisioning infrastructure assistance is a popular movement in the education realm, taken by roughly 85% of businesses. The material, teaching supplies, books, furniture and building of libraries and schools, consists of the role of implementing educational infrastructure. Granting scholarships to students is another regular CSR venture being followed with 65% of companies. There is an indication that many organizations are working on schemes to enhance the quality of education by providing coaching classes for children, training primary and secondary school educators in different and refined teaching methods and learning aids. Many organizations are also found to be coming up with their own schools. Another increasing trend is to support the funding by building capacities in diverse areas to enable sustainable growth & impact. Health Care In this division, we find that companies are organizing fitness camps to volunteer health assistance and raising mindfulness on health problems. Infrastructural and material support is another popular action in the healthcare domain. It includes medical equipment, ambulances, clinics, health centers as well as renovation and construction of hospital buildings. Water sanitation, child health, and maternal care are other chosen areas of interest.

Environment

India fights massively with environmental issues. Air and water pollution are prevailing. CSR drives pointed toward the improvement of the environment include go-green actions like tree plantation initiatives to raise awareness on afforestation, attempts to save water and knowledge on disposal of waste. Corporates are wary of supporting issues & causes which are at times logger-heads with developmental activities. Another area of concern that has been flagged off are CSR activity that could potential land in political controversies.

Livelihood

Many organizations support skill improvement through vocational training and career guidance to develop skills, employability of applicants, and finally their earning potentials. Some activities initiated by businesses have also incorporated improving the awareness of people in their own area of operation, such as teaching farmers about modern and enhanced farming techniques.

Rural Development

About 60% of companies have been acting toward the betterment of rural areas by providing support in the building of dams, renovating of pumps and construction of roads to improve commute. Companies have also been striving for rural advancement by organizing awareness camps for concerns like domestic brutality, infanticide and the absolute importance of education.

Social Enterprises

Small and medium social enterprises significantly contribute towards India’s financial success. The business projects of these enterprises are presented near locals. This allows them to be conscious of community requirements, manage prospects and develop CSR programs appropriately. This area investigates the option of offering collaborative CSR activities. It can also be used by other businesses to maximise the result of their CSR drives while decreasing the operational expenses for fund control. Collaboration also proves a worthy contender in the aim to control environmental and social issues, by businesses that are trying to build moral supply chains and gain recognition from the international community. Reporting: KPMG India director, Santhosh Jayaram says “The Indian government has urged businesses to invest in and report on social activities. Since 2013, it has been compulsory for big companies to report on CSR projects initiated and to disclose details including spending on these schemes in their annual statement. Along with a demand for the top 100 listed entities to report, India now has the highest CSR reporting rate worldwide.” The necessity to learn and act upon the notion of corporate social responsibility has increased momentum in the recent past not just in the legal rule but also in judicial activism. Besides the constitutional and legislative responsibility, it becomes an ethical obligation not only of individuals but of the corporate organizations to protect and improve the quality of life.

Vardaan’s CSR Services

Vardaan enable corporates to achieve their Responsibility goals by offering services such as consultation on social responsibility, diagnostic process, policy making scheme, plan implementation and impact measurement. Contributing to this cause can help India escape poverty and claim their right to education, good living standards, and a better future. References: http://forbesindia.com/blog/the-good-company/the-changing-landscape-of-csr-in-india/ http://www.norwayemb.org.in/News_and_events/Business/Corporate-Social-Responsibility-CSR-in-India-2014/#.V_3oL-B96M- http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/article/corporate-social-responsibility-and-environmental-protection-1920-1.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_corporate_social_responsibility_in_India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/India-leads-in-CSR-spending-growth/articleshow/51173712.cms http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/366528/Corporate+Governance/Corporate+Social+Responsibility+Indian+Companies+Act+2013 Image References: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=education+in+india&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=794&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiQgJS46dTPAhWJqI8KHYJ6AsoQ_AUIBygC#q=education+in+india&tbm=isch&tbs=sur:fc&imgdii=L76LxXgbnGJBAM%3A%3BL76LxXgbnGJBAM%3A%3BfiZoXagTOiGFSM%3A&imgrc=L76LxXgbnGJBAM%3A https://www.google.co.in/search?q=education+in+india&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=794&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiQgJS46dTPAhWJqI8KHYJ6AsoQ_AUIBygC#tbs=sur:fc&tbm=isch&q=environment+in+india&imgrc=Dkb7o3gbFuyaEM%3A https://www.google.co.in/search?q=education+in+india&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=794&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiQgJS46dTPAhWJqI8KHYJ6AsoQ_AUIBygC#tbs=sur:fc&tbm=isch&q=education+in+india&imgrc=RBSEHiE6MjvSCM%3A