Recently, we convened an excellent brainstorming session with stalwarts from industry, NGOs, government and sports to give valuable feedback on the ‘Future of Education & Health’ for government primary school children. Some of the legends who joined the virtual meeting were Paul Polman (former global CEO, Unilever), Parthiv Patel, Gaurav Gupta (Cofounder & COO, Zomato), JD Majethia, Anna Chandy (Chairperson, The Live, Love, Laugh Foundation) and many more. It was deeply appreciated by one and all. “I thank Yuva Unstoppable Founder Amitabh Shah for convening this excellent virtual gathering of some wonderful people with wonderful ideas. It is heartwarming to see everyone coming together to reduce suffering for vulnerable communities like women and children”, acknowledged Paul Polman.
The Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has created disruption for cohorts of vulnerable communities who need help and protection. Now, more than ever!
Students may suffer the most in the absence of a comprehensive action plan. When schools reopen, they will have to operate by adhering to prescribed norms of social distancing and personal protection. This might also lead to reduced classroom strength. This means the scope for classroom education will remain curtailed for longer period of time. Moreover, Corona Virus will eventually hit the economics of families in slums and crowded cities. Therefore, increasing the chances of drop outs in government schools.
Paul Polman’s Thoughts
Paul Polman, global former CEO, Unilever is one of the outstanding corporate leaders of his times. An internationally acclaimed social entrepreneur, he believes in “being authentic, having high levels of integrity, a deeper sense for the common good. We would say it’s simply putting the interests of others ahead of your own, and wanting to make an impact in the world.”
At the meet, Paul Polman shared some amazing inputs to make lives a little better for people in high deprivation areas. He emphasized upon delivering the basics like food and education to these people. He also highlighted the immense scope that the organizations and corporates currently have in supporting the education sector. “Look at exploring bigger solutions. Go beyond Ed-tech for bringing education to the doorsteps of students through different distribution platforms like TVs, gaming, etc.”
“We cannot have healthy people on an unhealthy planet. And hence, the need to amplify focus on health and hygiene”, he further added. Moreover, he went on to suggest that the collaborative efforts must embrace other key stakeholders in the lives of students like teachers and community. When ecosystems are empowered, it acts an impact multiplier.
Conclusion
Basis the inputs of Paul Polman and other industry leaders at the online meeting. We have designed a comprehensive intervention plan to reach out to about 2 lacs children across a thousand govt. schools. These were transformed earlier by Yuva Unstoppable. The objective is to increase the impact created so far through an integrated model combining health, hygiene, and education. To know more about our initiatives and find out about what the other legends who joined us had to say, click here.