Among its initiatives, the investment of the Shiv Nadar Foundation of ₹Of particular note is the Rs 850 crore investment in VidyaGyan, a leadership academy for talented students from rural India. This year, VidyaGyan has set a new domestic record by sending 11 students abroad on international scholarships.
One notable beneficiary is 18-year-old Raj Dwivedi, who will become the first person in his family from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district to attend college in the U.S. Dwivedi, a recent VidyaGyan graduate, will pursue a bachelor’s degree in technology on a full scholarship. His aspirations go beyond personal achievement; he aims to address India’s employment crisis. “I want to work in the employment sector so that I can provide employment to the local workforce, students and people who have graduated and are unable to find work in India,” Dwivedi said.
The 2023 Annual State of Education Report highlighted a critical issue: students aged 14-18 in rural areas often lack basic skills. The report revealed that around 25% of these students could not read second-grade level texts in their regional language and over 50% struggled with basic division. Additionally, one in five youth could not identify any career aspirations. VidyaGyan’s mission is to address these gaps, bridging the gap between urban and rural areas in education and offering rural students exposure to a global learning environment.
Shashi Banerjee, principal of VidyaGyan School, highlighted the profound changes that VidyaGyan is promoting. In their villages, students are often exposed to only two prestigious roles: IAS officer and police officer. VidyaGyan broadens their horizons through its career guidance unit, social and emotional support, and a broader educational framework. “Slowly, the teachers, the systems here, the career guidance unit, and the social, emotional and wellness counselors expose them to other ways of life,” Banerjee explained.
Since its inception in 2009, VidyaGyan has graduated between 1,500 and 2,000 students from its two campuses in Uttar Pradesh. Notably, over 40 of these graduates have received international scholarships.
Akash Verma, a graduate from Sitapur, will be studying at Northwestern University in Illinois. His passion for physics reflects the vast opportunities that VidyaGyan offers. “I want to study physics because I think this discipline has a lot of scope right now,” Verma shared.
Similarly, Ashish Yadav, another VidyaGyan graduate, aspires to start a business with the aim of improving access to education in his village. “I want to become an entrepreneur. Once I become a successful entrepreneur, I will try to take appropriate measures to mitigate the lack of education in my village,” said Yadav.
Looking ahead, VidyaGyan is expanding its reach with a new campus in Chennai, scheduled to open by 2025, furthering its mission of empowering rural youth and transforming lives through education.
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