Vision and Strategy
Eikas Foundation’s vision is “education for the head, heart, and hands.” Eikas believes that the education system requires “grassroots innovations” and initiatives at the “institutional and system level.” Keeping this in mind, the organization engages with the system at the following different levels.
Level 1: Learning centre/direct work with children – After-school programs that develop self-awareness, social-emotional, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Emphasis on interactive learning, collaborative work, exploratory activities, reflection, and community service projects. The centre also serves as a testbed for teacher training and innovation.
Level 2: Collaborative for teachers and parents – Given the importance of the wisdom gained through practice, a forum for practice sharing among teachers and educators to learn from each other, reach out for support beyond their immediate social groups, and support the agenda of greater research and advocacy in educational practice.
Level 3: School support programs – Enabling schools to support the academic development and overall well-being of children through curriculum design, teaching strategies, classroom management, and the overall school environment.
Level 4: Research – Research projects in collaboration with government, NGOs, and universities.
Level 5: Advisory – Advisory support to other projects and organizations in educational and social change.
The organization is currently focused on the following domains.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Develop critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and other soft skills through a child-driven process of inquiry, investigation, and discovery using the school curriculum as a vehicle – called the “Guided Discovery” process (click here for illustrative examples). The process of learning is grounded in everyday phenomena to stimulate children’s natural curiosity. The emphasis is on arriving at an understanding of science concepts through the process of teasers, activities, group inquiry, and synthesis. Teacher professional development programs that provide a space for educators to refresh their concepts, experiment, reflect, and share are also offered.
Life skills and social-emotional learning/well-being: Workshops for parents and teachers to enhance their well-being and to help prepare children for success in school and life by developing self- awareness, self-management, critical thinking, relationship skills, and social consciousness. Integration of social-emotional learning activities into STEM programs for students. Multiple modes of development are used to foster these abilities in children, including workshops, classroom discussions, activities, games, arts, and service projects.
We work with Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School, Chennai on the STEM and well-being programs. With Zilla Parishad High School, Vinjamur (Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh), Puvidham Learning Centre (Nagarkoodal, Tamil Nadu) and a learning centre located in Anna Nagar, Chennai we intervene with our STEM program.
Project updates
STEM Gym programs in school: Based on the “Guided Discovery” approach the STEM Gym program is offered to students and teachers in school. Direct work with children is essential to ensure that the program is grounded, and work with motivated teachers is done to expand reach, broaden impact, and facilitate teaching innovation and systemic change. Currently running at Olcott, ZPH, Puvidham.
STEM Gym summer workshops: Short-term (7- to 10-days) intense engagements for children to help them discover science concepts for themselves. Games and other activities are integrated to help students develop well-being and 21st-century skills. The program offered at Vinjamur in 2022, and in Bengaluru and Karnal Dist. Haryana in 2023.
Science for Sustainability Park: Supporting Puvidham Learning Centre in setting up a regional resource hub that: (a) showcases applications of science for sustainable living and development, (b) model’s exemplar science pedagogy, and (c) supports teacher professional development. Location: Puvidham.
STEM Gym one-on-one/small group paid program: Paid program offered to students with high interest and engagement in science. Currently offered at the Chennai Learning Center.
Well-being workshops (online and in-person): Under the aegis of a grant from the Mind & Life Institute, the Eikas Foundation organizes online and in-person well-being workshops for teachers, NGOs, community workers, and community mental health professionals working with children in low- income settings. In-person workshops are held at Olcott.
Eikas Family Centre: Online programs are organized in collaboration with a parents' support group that addresses issues related to their childrens well-being.
Pandemic experiences survey: Research project in collaboration with Indiana University, USA, and Dream a Dream to assess the effects of sustained school closures due to the COVID-19 crisis on children's well-being across multiple socio-economic segments.
Learnings and challenges over the past year
STEM Gym programs in school
STEM Gym Summer workshops
Science for Sustainability Park
STEM Gym one-on-one/small group paid program
Well-being workshops
Challenges
Plan for the next 1-3 years
FY 2023-24 Plan – STEM. Eikas Foundation’s STEM Gym program for students and teachers has shown traction and measurable impact. Therefore, this program will continue to be deepened and strengthened in the following ways: (a) organizing summer camps in collaboration with Puvidham Learning Centre and Disha India Educational Foundation in April – May 2023 (b) continuing engagements with Olcott Memorial and ZPH, Vinjamur, (c) collaborate with partner organizations to: (i) broaden and deepen its offerings, (ii) strategically expand operations and knowledge sharing, (iii) provide capacity building programs, and (iv) enable internal capacity building.
FY 2023-24 Plan – Well-being. We will tap from our learnings from the last year to adapt and strengthen our program offerings. In-person workshops will be refined and adapted to (a) broaden and diversify the teacher base and (b) deepen the offering so that participants get a chance to continue conversations beyond the workshop and develop peer groups. We are considering reinitiating online workshops on a limited basis with the program open to all educators across the country. The rationale is that a broader reach can attract committed and experienced individuals who can make valuable contributions to ideas and practice. Based on receptivity, and response, attempt to seed communities of practice both online and in-person.
Over the next three years, based on program response and funding, we intend to increase our footprint in schools to approximately 3 in total, hire 2 staff members at the end of three years, have a formal fundraising strategy and program in place, publish metrics (qualitative or quantitative) related to impact assessment. It is anticipated that in three years the programmatic focus will sharpen and deepen in the STEM and social-emotional learning domains.
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.
