CHANDIGARH: Social Welfare is often taken as a measure of responsibility by the Corporate and as philanthropy by the rich. The easiest option taken is to donate and forget. Philanthropy is done. Perhaps with little concern for the end beneficiaries. The middlemen concept is often forgotten where a majority of the donations are usurped as administrative expenses.
But a real act of social responsibility with a true concern for the beneficiaries was learnt during a chance interaction with Mrs Vineeta Arora, Principal of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan’s Vidyalaya in Sector 27 Chandigarh, the other day.
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It is mandatory for any educational institution to offer at least 25 percent of the seats to students from economically weaker background especially when the institution is availing facilities of subsidized from the local authorities. The expenses on these students too is supposed to be borne by the school authorities, she said. But it is unfortunate that the facility of free education to this strata of society is often denied or curtailed by majority of the institutions as I learnt from some other schools in the vicinity. The official information was however not forthcoming from many schools while a spirited Vineeta Arora informed that her institution had long been ensuring the provision of due benefits to the poor students. She admitted that the financial burden is of course required to be passed on to the other students as well, though the trustees of the institution are always prepared to make up for the shortfalls.
Not only in providing free education to students from the economically poor strata of society which number 25 percent of the school students, Vineeta Arora told that her school premises was also being used as a coaching campus for the poor school students from nearby shanties and villages who are provided free coaching to make up for the gaps in learning from their regular schools.
For this coaching, Vinita told that a separate set of faculty is hired, some of whom offer their services without any remuneration.
The extent of social responsibility being extended by the Bhavan’s Vidyalaya does not end here. The school has also tied up with a government school in the vicinity of a village for use of their premises for offering extra coaching facilities to the students of the area.
A devoted Vineeta Arora is pursuing the philanthropic goals of the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. ICN news network salutes the spirits behind the noble cause.