The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
JHARSUGUDA, JULY 11, 2023
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, marked the successful completion of the first year of its e-learning initiative, Vidyagraha, by honouring thirteen exceptional students from Jharsuguda in Odisha for their outstanding achievement in the state’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Examination.
The event, graced by Jharsuguda District Education Officer (DEO) Puspa Minz also recognized the efforts of the headmasters of the schools participating in the initiative.
Implemented in collaboration with the Sarthak Sustainable Development Foundation, the ‘Vidyagraha’ initiative leverages technology to bridge existing gaps in community access to quality education. This is achieved through recorded lectures and online career counselling for students from classes 8th to 10th. The initiative includes digital learning sessions through a web app-based platform, monitoring students’ performance, and offering support through recorded lectures and doubt-clearance sessions personally conducted by employee volunteers from Vedanta Aluminium.
The program also ensures that students’ performance is regularly mapped and tracked through a web portal, identifying areas for improvement and action. To provide additional support to the students, employee volunteers from Vedanta Aluminium regularly record lectures and conduct in-person doubt-clearance sessions for students in all participating schools and villages. The initiative has been successfully implemented in government schools across Shiripura, Badmal, Siriapali, Purna, and Kurebaga in Jharsuguda district.
Since its inception in 2022, the initiative has benefited over 400 students in remote areas of Jharsuguda.
Building on the e-learning initiative’s stellar achievements, Vedanta Aluminium has now announced the launch of Phase-2 of the project, which will expand access toan additional number of schools in Jharsuguda district.
Speaking on the occasion, Vedanta Limited COO (Aluminium Business) Sunil Guptasaid, “Vidyagraha was initiated with the goal of empowering students by providing them with access to quality digital education and the opportunity to unlock their full potential. As the project now enters its second phase, Vedanta Aluminium remains committed to ensuring quality education for all. It is encouraging to see such initiatives significantly contribute to the rise in literacy levels of Jharsuguda. Our education initiatives for the community strive to ensure that students hailing from rural communities have better access to quality primary education, which is fundamental to shaping a bright future.”
Commending the successful initiative, DEO Pushpa Minz said, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Vedanta Jharsuguda for pioneering this exceptional learning platform. The project serves as a model for future initiatives aimed at transforming the educational landscape and ensuring a brighter future for students in the region.”
Key highlights of the Vidyagraha initiative include Vidyagraha App Development, whichprovides seamless access to educational resources through the App, benefiting over 400 students; Extensive Content Creation in which more than 180 lessons on Mathematics, Science and English ar recorded and uploaded on the Vidyagraha app, with over 2800 cumulative views so far; Remedial Classesunder which over170 sessions have been conducted in collaboration with government schools and around 50 community sessions, expanding the project’s impact beyond school premises; Parental Engagement and Outreach which undertook comprehensive outreach efforts, including 745 door-to-door visits and over 850 phone calls to parents, ensuring increased involvement in their children’s education; Student Support and Dropout Preventionthat offerscounselling services for school dropouts and irregular students, encouraging regular attendance and continuity in education; and Employee Volunteer Contributions through which Vedanta Aluminium’s employee volunteers actively participated in project activities, enriching students’ learning experiences through special classes and creating a supportive learning environment within schools.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
