Hyderabad: Procter & Gamble (P&G) has tied up with Child Rights and You (CRY) to launch ‘Shiksha 2008', a school education programme to help educate underprivileged children in India.<!--more-->

Project Shiksha is part of the company's global philanthropy programme P&G Live, Learn and Thrive that focuses on the development of children in need across the globe. The programme in India, according to the company, will be focussing on education for Children.

P&G further stated that the project has so far helped 67,000 children across 435 communities get education through a donation of over Rs 4 crore. The programme makes it easy for P&G consumers to help educate underprivileged children by simply buying any of the company's large packs products in the months of April, May and June 2008.

However, irrespective of sales, the company has committed a minimum of Rs 1 crore to its partner CRY, which will be allocated to projects focused on enabling the child's right to education.

P&G has also roped in CRY, as part of the Shiksha projects to re-look at existing education policies, create awareness to build more schools with better infrastructure and basic amenities like water, electricity, health through participation of the state education departments.

The project would also work towards enrolling more children into formal schools and promotion of retention in schools, as also work for all-round development of children.

"As the economy grows at 8-10 per cent levels, we need to ensure that we lay down a strong foundation for this growth to continue by investing in our future generation," P&G India Managing Director Shantanu Khosla said, adding that in that context, education becomes a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed.

Lauding the financial support from P&G, CRY Western Region Director Irwin Fernandes said that India will only achieve her true potential, when the country would make child rights the topmost national priority.

To do this, he said that the country has to go beyond schemes and programmes to address the real obstacles to growth—caste, class, gender and governance.

Urging the people of India to participate in this programme, Shiksha Supporter and Veteran Actress Sharmila Tagore said, "Education can be the foundation for an India we seek today where every child explores his or her full potential and has the right to do so."
—iGovernment Bureau