CSR arm of Vi gives Rs. 1 lakh scholarships to 110 teachers across India to support online education drive

Vodafone Idea Foundation, the CSR arm of Vi, announced the results of its Vodafone Idea Scholarship 2021 for teachers and distributed scholarships of Rs. 1 Lakhs each to 110 teachers across 22 states in India. The results for Student Scholarships 2021 will be announced shortly.

The Vi CSR Scholarship initiative aims to bridge the social and fiscal divide that teachers and students face in terms of availability and accessibility to the necessary resources that help them to excel. Last year, 200 teachers and 2500 students were rewarded with scholarships which they used for necessary resources teaching and learning.

The current edition of Teachers’ Scholarship has been won by 110 teachers from the states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Nagaland, Orrisa, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.

P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “Vi is committed to leveraging its technology expertise and network to create social impact at scale. Focused on bringing learning and education to financially constrained communities and rural population, we developed digital tools to enable accessibility education for both teachers and students. In times of the pandemic, our scholarship programme is helping students and teachers get resources to invest in technology tools and their education. Some of the teachers have pooled the funds to digitalize an entire classroom to engage their students, further widening the reach of the programme. We believe this will go a long way in spreading the light of education and further enhance employability of people, thereby also reducing poverty in the country.”

Launched last year, these scholarships entitle teachers as well as students to access Direct Beneficiary Transfer (DBT) covering a list of permissible expenses. The scholarships are on merit based for teachers and merit-cum-means based for the students. The selection process is entirely online, overseen by an independent jury, including eminent educators, representatives of civil society organizations.

COVID-19 has brought about changes to the education system that have impacted teachers in multiple ways. Teachers who were used to the traditional teaching methods using blackboard, chalk, books, and classroom teaching have had to rapidly adapt to the new age digital teaching methods. This programme commends the grit and determination that they have shown in this. They have not only adapted to the situation well but also aided the students in these unprecedented times.

These scholarships will further aid teachers to use the money to buy laptops that will make it easier for them to take classes online and facilitate e-learning. It will also help them build an environment of digital learning in their communities.

Says Mohamed Ismail, science teacher in Alipur Karnataka, “I was really excited when I was informed of my selection for the Vodafone Idea Teachers Scholarship. As a teacher I believe, students understand better through visuals than text, so the first thing I purchased with the scholarship amount was a good quality laptop, color printer and a projector. I further plan to purchase some books for our school library, especially NEET, JEE coaching books so that I can help students in their preparation. With these equipment I am sure I will make my class better and useful for my students. I am very thankful to the Vodafone Idea foundation for helping us in this difficult pandemic situation. It is very difficult for a teacher like me to purchase such expensive gadgets. I am also thankful to them for helping so many students by providing them with financial support.”

Sashanka Hazarika, District Darrang, Assam, “My heartfelt gratitude to Vodafone Idea Foundation for selecting me for the scholarship. I am handing over this scholarship money to our school library to buy study material that will benefit large number of students. I hope my contribution will help students and teachers to continue education efforts in the current situation.”

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