Sixteen-year-old Navnath Pawar dreams of becoming a doctor. His father works as a peon in a private firm in Mumbai. Always among the toppers in his class, Pawar has one ambition — to become a doctor. His father’s salary barely manages to feed the family of four.
A friend of Pawar’s father told him about E Merck’s fund for meritorious, needy students from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools. “I was happy with the grant. It saves my father from taking a loan to further my studies,” says the bright lad. A sum of Rs 6,500 from Merck took care of the college fee and books for the college student.
E Merck Ltd, a German-based pharmaceutical and chemical company, incorporated the Merck India Charitable Trust in November 2004. The company has set aside a Rs 1-crore corpus for the same.
Incidentally, this is the first time that E Merck has formed a corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing. The company has sponsored 20 students this year. Says R L Shenoy, director, Merck India Charitable Trust, “We decided to chip in towards education by sponsoring underprivileged, meritorious students.”
The recipients of the sponsorship had happy tales to recount. Like Shailesh Walavalkar, a topper among all BMC schools this year with 87% said he wanted to pursue engineering with specialisation in IT. “My family could not help me in achieving my ambition due to financial constraints.” Prakash Dharu Sakpal’s father is a driver, but the son wants to study more.
To get a Merck grant recipients have to do well in studies. When Merck India decided to do its bit for literacy, it shared its vision through advertisements in newspapers and posters near BMC school premises.
Around 200 applications were received, out of which 20 students were selected based on their performance at the Class X board examinations and their economic background.
Shenoy says: “A student who scored 84% has lost both his parents and is supported by his elder college-going sister. Yet another of those selected, has a daily wage labourer father, stays in Colaba slums, and has scored 83%. He wants to be an astronomer. There are many such children, who despite all odds, have not only completed school, but have also excelled at the board examinations. They have a bright future but need support and encouragement.”
Shenoy urges other companies in the private sector to follow Merck India’s example. “The private sector must do its bit to encourage education, lack of which results in unemployment. Corporates should realise that they have a social obligation too,” he adds.
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