Web portal to help corporates help civic schools transparently

The process to set up an online portal to make available need-analysis of all 310 civic schools in the city has been undertaken by Shyamchi Aai Foundation, a city-based NGO. Expected to be ready by June, the portal will help private companies in the city channelise their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to schools of their choice, by first getting an overview from the portal.

Fresh approach: Private firms in the city will allocate their CSR funds to civic schools only if they are assured that the money would be utilised for the right reasons. Representation Pic

Despite having over one lakh primary students on rolls, PMC education board-run schools often go unnoticed by most corporate groups only because of lack of communication. To bridge this gap, PMC education board has recently established a separate CSR cell with the help of Shyamchi Aai Foundation.

Founder president of the foundation Sheetal Bapat said, "We are conducting need- analysis of each and every civic school in the city. The proposed online portal will have data of this survey, explaining in which sector a particular school is lagging. Such precise information will help companies focus on these lines to take up CSR activity."

PMC education board is infamous for its staffers alleged involvement in various scams. So, maintaining transparency in its CSR cell would be a big challenge. On the other hand, private firms in the city will allocate their CSR funds to civic schools only if they are assured that the money would be utilised for the right reasons.

"To maintain such transparency at all levels, no direct money transactions will take place. After accessing information from the portal, companies will forge project-based MoUs with schools, bypassing any dealing with PMC or netas," Bapat said.