ANAWA, the Army, Navy, Air Force Wives Activity Trust has been functioning in NOIDA since 1989. In the initial years, the vision was limited to providing health cover to the women and children of the construction workers and reaching out to flood and quake victims with clothes and provisions. Health camps, vaccination camps, and cancer detection camps were organized. With this captive audience, it was natural to expand the vision to include education and to provide these children with basic education.
ANKUR School, a Flagship Educational Project of the Army Navy Air Force Wives Activity Trust (ANAWA Trust) was started in 1994 by the wives of these retired Defence officers, to serve the cause of EWS children, upliftment of the Girl Child being the main objective; the vision being that with education, the chances of an early marriage get shelved and an educated mother, will ensure a healthy and educated family in the future.
Today the mission is more focused on ensuring children from this financially challenged background obtain school leaving certificates of Class X and XII level, acquire skills, and get equipped to meet the world at its terms, with the ability and confidence to procure any job they may choose to apply for. The sky is the limit and the students of ANKUR are encouraged to reach for the sky.
ANKUR follows the CBSE syllabus and is affiliated with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). It runs basic computer classes for students from Class V to Class VIII, and strives to adopt the Govt floated NEP program. Skill development is now the priority, with information technology at the heart of the program. Tablets have been acquired and will be integrated into classroom learning, with effect from the forthcoming academic session.
Teachers will attend a Training Workshop end of May to help them navigate this route in the teaching process. With this strategy, the first step is being taken to achieve NEP goals. Wipro funds the Teacher’s salaries, NIOS registration, school excursions, and teacher’s training.
Location of work: ANAWA re-registered in 2008 as ANAWA Trust in Uttar Pradesh since our project operated in NOIDA and acquired a new NIOS number. It also started a vocational center for girls called Jagriti for girls above the age of 14 years, who missed out on education in their formative years.
ANAWA caters to children belonging to JJ colonies in Sectors 8, 9, and 10 in Noida and in Nithari Village, all of which are located in the vicinity of Sectors 21 and 25 (Jal Vayu Vihar) Noida, where the office is located. It operates out of 10 classrooms in Somerville School in Sector 22 NOIDA, which are provided free of cost to ANKUR ANAWA School. Somerville also generously provides two buses free of cost for transportation of students to school.
Partner updates: Essentially, Financial Assistance and guidance extended by WIPRO have provided an environment for the healthy growth of ANKUR School. Good Teachers are at the heart of good education. ANKUR has 15 Trained and dedicated Teachers involved in preparing a broad and balanced curriculum along with NEP guidelines for 2020. ANKUR school functions from 3:30 to 6:30 pm from Sommerville School, Sector 22, NOIDA after its regular School Hours.
Besides 10 classrooms, we have provided two School Buses to transport Children to School and back thereby ensuring their safety on busy roads. Besides the Teacher’s Salaries, WIPRO also provides support towards, NIOS Registration of Class VIII students, annual School excursions to places of interest to different age groups and to facilitate bus travel and Teachers’ Training. Most Teachers work in Day schools and are exposed to NIOS and CBSE-organized training sessions. That leaves us to opt for relevant classroom-related training of our choice.
Our primary aim continues to be quality Education through Remedial Literacy Classes. Children are admitted to LKG and progress up to Class VIII. The CBSE Syllabus is followed, and Examinations are conducted through NIOS at the Class VIII level. Thereafter students are encouraged to join government schools in the vicinity of NOIDA. Apart from academics, students are encouraged to participate in sports, arts and crafts, debates and elocution, dance and drama, to broaden their horizons and build confidence. A holistic approach to education is ensured.
Challenges: The biggest challenge faced was in the establishment of classroom discipline post initiating Offline classes in April and July of 2022. School routine, discipline, and mindset had to be reinstated which took considerable time and effort, particularly in the case of older students. During counselling sessions with students of Class VI, it was discovered that they found it difficult to concentrate on what was being taught.
However, a bit of personalized attention was appreciated and expected to have positive results. These sessions will be continued through the next academic session. We firmly believe that Students can face life challenges if they are in control of core Academic Skills and Knowledge. Subjects such as math, Hindi, science, and English are given importance at the primary level to help them understand complex topics in Higher Classes. The importance of education for their future has been explained and understood and behavioral changes are looked forward to.
It had been our learning experience that Trustee involvement in classroom teaching and supervision was the key to Teachers’ alertness and following the system. Post COVID and due to the passing of some Trustees, close classroom supervision had taken a back seat. With the induction of a new team of trustees, this will be re-introduced in the next academic session. It is hoped that this will improve teaching methodology to the benefit of the students.
Plan of action: We plan to adopt the NEP 2020 in phases through various academic and co-curricular activities to create a platform covering all domains of learning. To encourage our students to develop Skills that will help them adjust to the outside world motivate and prepare them for the future and instil in them a sense of self-belief and confidence to discover the potential within them. To this end, tabs are being introduced as a teaching tool from April 2023, and teachers are being trained to incorporate the same regularly. We will still be scouting to pinpoint other skills, which can be amalgamated into the limited time frame of 3 hrs that ANKUR has at its disposal.
The Trust has inducted additional Trustees to join the core group and is still scouting for a few more dedicated persons to add to its fold. As a second line, a team of 3 Trustees will take over the supervision of school academics from the forthcoming session beginning April 2023. In the next three years, we hope the baton will be passed on.
Wipro Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entity of Wipro Limited. Going back over two decades, we focus on social initiatives in the domains of Education, Primary Healthcare, Ecology, Disaster Response, and Cities & Public Spaces.
Sachin Bansal heads finance function for Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting in India and South Asia.
He moved to Wipro Consumer Care in 2022 and prior to that was the head of finance of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN). He joined WIN in 2007 and over the last 15 years has essayed several roles including Plant Finance, India Hydraulic Business Finance, Global Operations Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions.
A qualified Chartered Accountant and a Black Belt in Six Sigma, Sachin has led several successful initiatives to streamline and strengthen the Finance function. As part of the leadership team of WIN, he played a pivotal role in driving profitable growth with improved focus on ROCE, Productivity and Cost Optimization.
Isaac George has held several positions at Wipro across Sales & Marketing, Consulting, and IT Operations for over two decades. Since 2014, he has been leading People Function and Employee Relations at Wipro Infrastructure Engineering. Isaac also heads the group’s social initiatives efforts and works towards creating an inclusive environment for Persons with Disabilities.
Samir Gadgil is the Head HR for the Chief Growth Office and all Corporate Functions at Wipro. He is also Wipro Cares’ Pune Location Head.
Previously, Samir has worked as Head – HR for Digital Operations & Platforms and managed multiple initiatives under HR and People Supply Chain Functions, including Talent Acquisition, Talent Transformation, Workforce Management, Facilities & Transport.
A seasoned professional, Samir has also served as the Global Head- Compensation, and Benefits at Wipro and worked with best-in-class Manufacturing, Consulting, Financial, and IT Service Companies in a career spanning over two decades.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
Vikrant has recently joined to lead the human resources function for Wipro Enterprises which includes Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) and Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting businesses.
Vikrant comes with 25 years of diverse global leadership experience in Strategic Talent Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Organization Design, Cultural Transformation & Change Management, D&I, and Leadership Coaching & Development across Services, Manufacturing, Retail and Technology industries. Besides Human Resources, Vikrant has also led roles across Finance & Audit.
With a career spanning L&T, GE Healthcare, Nike, Accenture, HCL, and Harman International, Vikrant has a distinguished track record and is an alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.
Aparna C. Iyer is Wipro’s Chief Financial Officer.
Aparna joined Wipro in 2003 and over the years has held several finance roles, including Internal Audit, Business Finance, Finance Planning and Analysis, Corporate Treasury, and Investor Relations (IR).
Most recently, Aparna was Senior Vice President and CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, leading finance operations for one Wipro’s fastest growing global business lines.
Prior to taking over as CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, Aparna was the Corporate Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations for Wipro Limited. As a part of that role, she was responsible for building and executing forex risk management framework, investment of surplus cash, working capital management, customer credit risk evaluation, driving capital allocation decisions, managing balance sheet exposure as well as investor and analyst relationships.
As the Head of Treasury & IR, Aparna devised Wipro’s forex strategy, aiding the operating margin performance of the company, and driving improved predictability.
Aparna is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and was a gold medalist of the CA 2002 batch.
Saurabh Govil is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wipro, and a member of the Management Team. He leads all Wipro’s HR functions, including talent acquisition, talent engagement, and learning and development programs.
Saurabh has been a HR practitioner for over two decades, and has worked with organizations like ITC and GE. Since joining Wipro in May, 2009, he has been instrumental in transforming the organization. His work with people, processes, and organizational structure over the last three years has contributed significantly to Wipro’s growth, improving operations and introducing many new initiatives.
Saurabh is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur where he completed his master’s in human resources. He is on the advisory board of SHRM India. Saurabh has been a regular speaker at NASSCOM’s HR summit. He also contributes to NHRDN’s journal as an author.
Anurag Behar is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Wipro Limited & Vice-Chancellor, Azim Premji University.
Anurag is a member of the Committee that has developed India’s National Education Policy (2019), the first comprehensive education policy for the country, since 1986. He has been deeply engaged with efforts to improve education in India, for the past seventeen years.
He has been a vocal advocate for the critical importance of public systems, in particular the public education system. His many years in business have given him an insider’s view of both the possibilities and limits of markets. For the past few years, he has also been engaged with environmental and ecological issues. He writes widely, including a fortnightly column for the national newspapers Mint & Hindustan, and other publications.
Anurag has earlier played leadership roles in business. As the CEO of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, he led the business from being No. 20 in the world to being the No. 1 in 5 years. He has also been responsible for many corporate functions for Wipro including Brand, Quality, and Innovation. He continues to provide oversight to the social and ecological initiatives of the Wipro Group, as its Chief Sustainability Officer. He is a member of Wipro’s Group Executive Council.
Anurag has served on various boards including that of Wipro GE Healthcare Ltd, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences, and of the TERI University. He serves on many government & sector councils, such as MHRD’s EQUIP, the National Mission on Teachers and Teacher Education, the Government of India implementation committee for the Justice Verma Commission, Karnataka Knowledge Commission, and with the CII’s National Climate Change Council.
He has an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and a BE in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy. Both institutions have honored him with their Distinguished Alumnus award. He was elected as a ‘Young Global Leader’, by the World Economic Forum in 2008. He enjoys long-distance running.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
