Education for All Trust

Today afternoon I organised a function at the ITC Sonar Pala Banquet Hall to launch the website of Education for All Trust project. I have been running this program of mine with the help of many individuals and corporates.

Though the website (www.educationforalltrust.org) should have been launched earlier, I took time to revive the Project and the website was launched today by Sharmila Tagore (picture) who is also the goodwill ambassador of Unicef.

“The government is doing its bit but we cannot afford to be complacent. Sometimes these small focus groups can reach out and such partnerships can really work. We must be more proactive because it can make a difference to people’s lives,” she said on the occasion.

It was a select gathering of principals of different schools, key donors, well-wishers and the director of Club Laptop – the company that has sponsored the website.

Many school principals have inquired about the project as well. When I met Rinku di at her Delhi residence few weeks back requesting her to launch the website, she was little apprehensive. But after hearing about the cause of the project she readily agreed to come down to Kolkata to do the honours.

Education for all students remains a major problem in India after six decades of Independence and in spite of the Right To Education Act. It is estimated that there are over eight million out-of-school children in India according to latest UN statistics. Many other social problems that India is saddled with, from crime to population explosion to pollution, stems from lack of basic education.

The Trust believes that creating opportunities for children to be educated will help minimize, if not eradicate, such issues. The Trust does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, religion or gender.

ess bee