Premji keen on improving education in Maharashtra

Maharashtra seems to be the next battlefield for Azim Premji Foundation, the not-for-profit entity promoted by Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, to improve elementary education at the grassroots level.

Premji met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday evening and expressed his intentions to work with the state government in this regard.

Maharashtra has 15.9 million students enrolled in 94,274 schools. Apart from 1,998 primary, 925 secondary and 285 higher secondary institutions exclusively for girls, the state has also 572 engineering institutions, with an intake capacity of 261,625 students.

"It was more or less an 'ice-breaking' meeting. Premji explained the foundation's work in various states towards improving the quality of education. The foundation has so far worked with over 25,000 schools, involving 2.5 million children since it was founded in 2001," a senior state government official present at the meeting told Business Standard.

Chavan agreed to give an appointment soon for a detailed presentation by Premji and his team on the foundation's plan for the state.

The foundation focuses on elementary education in rural areas and works with various government agencies such as district institutes of education and training, district education office clusters and block resource offices to improve the quality of education. It also provides training to teachers and professors of engineering colleges.

Premji's plan to enter Maharashtra is crucial, especially when the foundation's current staff of 350 would eventually grow to 5,000 in 20 states, including Maharashtra in the next five years.