Shiv Nadar Foundation-run schools in UP to expand capacity

Foundation invested Rs 400 cr in 2 boarding schools in UP

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Shiv Nadar Foundation, which runs two boarding schools in Uttar Pradesh for underprivileged rural children, is expanding its campuses to accommodate more students.

VidyaGyan schools have world-class and sprawling campuses in Bulandshahr and Sitapur districts.

So far, the foundation has invested almost Rs 400 crore in these schools, which have classes VI to XII, and are affiliated to the CBSE Board.

It admits meritorious students from government and private schools, after an elaborate three-tier selection process. Last year, it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government for conducting the selection procedure in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The two schools, at present, have a combined capacity of 1,400. The target is to increase the numbers three-fold and touch 4,200 in the next five years.

The foundation is the philanthropic arm of HCL promoter Shiv Nadar. The first VidyaGyan school was set up in Bulandshahr in 2009, while the second campus in Sitapur came up in 2011.

The foundation has recently acquired 10 acres of additional land in Bulandshahr to ramp up facilities and infrastructure on the existing campus.

“Instead of setting up more boarding schools, we decided to expand our campuses to accommodate more students,” said Shiv Nadar Foundation trustee Roshni Nadar Malhotra.

The foundation boasts of conducting one of the largest private selection and admission processes in India. In 2014, it evaluated 200,000 students for VidyaGyan.

The students come from families of farmers and daily wagers in rural Uttar Pradesh, having an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.

The foundation has committed Rs 5,000 crore towards philanthropic initiatives, of which Rs 2,900 crore had already been incurred. It also runs Shiv Nadar University in Greater Noida.