Ingersoll Rand has partnered with Agastya International Foundation to launch a Science Centre at Govt. Girls Senior Secondary School, Jacobpura in Gurgaon, India. The Centre will benefit economically disadvantaged children in remote, rural areas, with a special focus on female children and teachers. Through innovative and unique hands-on science education, the Centre aims to foster creativity among children and provide them with the learning tools and confidence to overcome their constraints.

The Centre was inaugurated on April 30 by the following: Venkatesh Valluri, president – Ingersoll Rand India, Dhirendra Singh, IAS, former Union Home secretary, Alok Verma, director – Prarambh & CEO Utkarsh Society, Sheel Kumari, Principal, GGSSS, Jacobpura and K. Thyagrajan, chief operating officer, Agastya International.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Ingersoll Rand on this initiative intended to bring quality science education to a targeted group of children and teachers,” said Thyagrajan. “This Science Centre will act as a hub for students and teachers of various schools to congregate and share ideas. Through it, we hope to provide students with a strong education from their early years, and uncover the hidden value of India's rural population.”

Ingersoll Rand is supporting the Agastya Foundation team with essential equipment, staff training, infrastructure cost and expertise for delivering science education through innovative means.

“At Ingersoll Rand, we are committed to good corporate citizenship and believe that advancing the quality of life requires taking an active role in addressing social issues that impact our organization and the communities we operate in,” Valluri said. “This Science Centre is a step towards creating social value through educational support for economically disadvantaged children in remote areas and furthering science literacy in the bright minds of this country. Our partnership with Agastya is an example of how we believe the public-private sector can socially converge to deliver immense value to our society.”

The Centre has been in operation since September 2013 and has been instrumental in providing science education through hands-on methodologies, as well as inspiring them in the areas of ecology and mathematics. Since its inception, the Centre has successfully touched the lives of more than 8,000 students and teachers across 41 schools, by conducting special training activities, project- and discovery-based learning, integrated learning, science fairs and more. The Centre aims to connect with 12,000 children and train 125 teachers by the end of 2014.