Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Foundation partners with Sesame Workshop India to make learning accessible for pre-school children in J&K 

Srinagar : Hinduja Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the 100-year-old Hinduja Group, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop India, an educational non-profit working to meet the early developmental needs of children has distributed 1000 learning and accessory kits to students in grades I and II in the Reasi, Udhampur, and Rajouri districts in Jammu and Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora districts in Kashmir.
In association with the Samaghra Shiksha, Department of School Education, Jammu & Kashmir, the Foundation is focused to bridge the learning gap for students, particularly those who belong to low-income group families from remote rural villages of the state. As part of the partnership, Sesame Workshop India will create video playlists themed on social, emotional and cognitive needs of young children in Kashmiri and Hindi languages. They also plan to develop a training module and train the master trainers. The training will be delivered online and offline.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr Paul Abraham, President, Hinduja Foundation said, “We, at the Hinduja Foundation, are proud to partner with LLF and Sesame Workshop India in delivering (study kits) to children in J&K. Some of these kids are returning to school after 2-3 years. We wish to re-engage them in education and academics. Sesame Workshop India with its attractive and well-thought out study kits makes school fun while ensuring children feel the joy of learning once again.’’
Speaking about the collaboration, Ms. Sonali Khan, Managing Director, Sesame Workshop India expressed, “It’s important for all children to have an equal access to learning and we believe this partnership gives us that very opportunity to help 1000 children of Jammu & Kashmir help get an equal start in school and life.”
The Hinduja Foundation has worked extensively in the education sector and their contribution has led to the reverse migration of over 12,000 students from Private schools to Government schools. Launched in 2015, the Road to School program impacts 96000 students annually from 960 plus schools across Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
With the help of this initiative, over 800 rural youth have been employed as teachers in remote schools.
Notably, the Hinduja Group is one of India’s premier diversified and transnational conglomerates. Employing nearly 150,000 employees and with a presence in 38 countries, the Group generates multiple billion dollars in revenue. The Group was founded over a hundred years ago by Shri P.D. Hinduja whose credo was “My duty is to work so that I can give.” The Group owns businesses in Automotive, Information Technology, Media, Entertainment & Communications, Banking & Finance Services, Infrastructure Project Development, Cyber Security, Oil and Specialty Chemicals, Power, Real Estate, Trading and Healthcare. The group also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation.
Sesame Workshop – India is the Indian arm of Sesame Workshop, the internationally renowned non-profit media and educational organisation behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. It reachs kids in their earliest years to provide them access to life-changing early education, critical health lessons, and helpful tools for tough situations via a combination of television, radio, digital media, mobile technologies, and community outreach across 11 states in India. Since 2006, Sesame Workshop – India has reached children through mass media including Galli Galli Sim Sim, the local version of Sesame Street, and now reaches children with engaging and educational content featuring the beloved Muppets of Sesame Street. Today we reach children with engaging and educational content featuring the beloved Muppets of Sesame Street on our YouTube channels in two languages – Hindi and Telugu. For more information, log on to sesame workshop india.org. For more information, log on to sesame workshop india.org.
Ashok Leyland launched the Road to School initiative in August 2015, in partnership with Government of India’s Sarva Siksha Abhiyan along with NGO partner Learning Links Foundation. Launched in 2015, the Road to School program impacts 96000 students annually from 960 plus schools in Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan states.