Vidyashray
Education is a key component of the development of a nation and the empowerment of its people. With 19% of our country’s population falling in the age group of 15 to 24, an estimated 27 crore students are potential candidates for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Unfortunately, only a fraction of these potential students are able to make it to these programs due to the economic background that they come from.
While India badly needs excellent engineers, doctors, and other professionals, there are many challenges that keep high-quality education programs out of reach of students who belong to families from economically weaker backgrounds.
Following is some of the notable challenges keeping quality education out of reach of students:
- The increasing cost of education and lack of access to funds
- Availability of a limited number of seats in the publicly funded institutions, creating huge competition
- Relatively higher interest rates on student loans as compared to mortgage loans due to lack of underlying security
- Students from taluka and remote district places have to bear a large financial burden for lodging and boarding in cities and towns, which acts as a further deterrent to affordability.
Sanket Godbole (currently CFO with an MNC) and Pallavi Godbole (currently Partner with Big 4 Consulting firm) have been scanning NGO’s to ensure intake of students are in genuine need of this support. Our existing flagship initiatives of Samutkarsh and Kishori Vikas, the genuinity of the beneficiaries is ensured.
Currently Vidyashray outreach is mainly in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Raigad &Palghar district.
Objectives
- Every student, regardless of their academic performance, deserves support to atleast becomes graduates or diploma holders.
- To provide unwavering encouragement for ambitious and deserving students from economically weaker sections, enabling them to pursue education.
- Enable them to achieve not only their personal educational goals but also contribute to the mid to long-term financial stability of self and family.
- To contribute to the creation of a skilled workforce for the country, which ultimately leads to an increase in social acceptability and confidence within their communities.
Impact
- Vidyashray, launched in the academic year 2022-23, began its journey by providing financial assistance to 42 students. Each student was paired with a mentor to guide them through challenges and support their overall development. As a result, all 42 students successfully cleared their Std XI, with three achieving the distinction of being class or college toppers.
- Building on this foundation, Vidyashray expanded its impact in 2023-24 by supporting 91 students.
- The initiative covered 64% of their tuition fees and introduced streamwise mentoring alongside specialized coaching for HSC exams.
- Every beneficiary passed their first-year junior college exams, with three students securing the top rank in their class or college. These achievements were made possible through the dedicated efforts of 10 volunteers and the support of one CSR partner.
- Vidyashray aims to make a difference in the lives of 1000+ students under this initiative.
United Nations Development Programme’s
Sustainable Goals aligned with Vidyashray
