Verizon India, Pratham to educate underprivileged children

: IT major Verizon India, the subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Verizon Communications Inc, has partnered with non-profit organisation Pratham Education Foundation to offer its 'Early Years' programme to 25 schools at Bandlaguda in Hyderabad in Telangana state.

The programme is for two age groups - 'Balwadi' for three to five years and 'Balvachan' for grades one and two, a press release said.

Early Years also encourages mothers' involvement in enriching education, the release said.

Under Balwadi, a woman can run a pre-school in a community space or within schools, it said.

At a function held at a Government Primary School in Bandlaguda, programme head of Pratham Education Foundation Sunita Burra and vice-president and managing director of Verizon India Kalyani Sekar formally launched the initiative, the release said.

"It is very fulfilling to partner with an organisation augmenting the effectiveness of early schooling," the release quoted Sekar as saying.

On the partnership with Verizon, Burra said in the release that it was a privilege to partner with Verizon India to support Early Years lay the foundation for the success of the children.

The programme aims at providing 2,000 underprivileged children fundamental learning skills in their primary school years, the release added.